The Blayders
by heartxtime
Summary: Katara desperately wants to learn how to properly fight with her mediocre waterbending skills. Then, one day, she stumbles upon the Blayders, a group of legendary female waterbenders. Five years later, she remeets a young firebender...Zutara later chps
1. The Legend

Hi people! I'm starting a new fic, and I hope ya'll like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**The Blayders**

**Chapter One: The Legend**

The diminutive girl in her blue dress shuffled to an old man with a wispy white beard that extended to his navel. She tugged his blue parka with her small, smooth fingers and looked up into his eyes. Both pairs of eyes were blue, and the little girl gazed inquisitively into the old man's eyes.

"Granpa, you promised me you would tell me a story."

The old man's mouth widened into a pleasant smile, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "So I did, I did."

Her led her slowly to the four pieces of animal pelt around the central fire in their hut and sat, putting the child on his lap. He paused and looked into the fire for a moment, then began.

"Long has there been a group of female warriors in the history of the Northern Water Tribe. Well, in a strange way. These women are not written down on paper with pen, but into the ordinary citizens' minds with words from stories and songs. They were outcasts, talented women and girls who had always wanted to learn to master their waterbending skills to defend their people.

"The reason they were outcasts? Females in the Northern Water Tribe are not permitted to totally master the skill of bending. They are only taught healing.

"Some of these talented women wanted more. They wanted to know how to fight. This fierce spirit was what gave birth to the strange society.

"One woman lusted after power. Her name was not known, but after she founded the society, she was christened 'Sedna', after the Sea Goddess. She also found a new technique of offense fighting: with small blades.

"Today, we call that group…

…the Blayders."


	2. The Boy

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I've been thinking about this plot for a long time, and I like it! Please review this if you read it, 'cos I just wanna know if it's alright at the moment. Thx!

**Chapter 2: The Boy**

"Geez, girls are always unreliable! My one chance to get a valuable object, and you blow it! Do you know how important this thing is to me?!"

"Look, Sokka, I said I'll get it back, so just calm down, okay? You know I don't break promises."

Sokka turned his back onto his sister, and punched the nearest tree trunk. "Katara. The thing is, you are _incapable_ of getting it back! The thief that stole it has a knife. A _knife_, do you get it? He could kill you!" he turned around, and sighed. "The truth is…I wanted that club for Dad."

12-year-old Katara was starting to get annoyed. It wasn't like she couldn't defend herself or something!

"I can get it back, okay? Geez, I mean, I can waterbend if anything happens, right?"

"Yeah, like a little _bit of water_ from your bottle can like, just _subdue_ a thief and recover a stolen item. Besides," he leaned in. "You're a girl. That guy's a full-grown man with a knife and my club. All you have is a bit of hocus-pocus and melted snow."

When Katara drew herself up to her full height and lowered her head in a glower, Sokka knew he had gone too far. Katara had always had a problem with the idea that women were inferior to men, which was exactly what most men thought.

Her deep blue eyes burned fiercely. "I'll show you," she hissed. "I'll show you how I can do all my chores, including yours, and also rescue some bit of carved bone with a leather binding." And with that, she stomped off after the direction in which the thief had taken.

"O-o-oi! Katara! Where do you think you're going _now_?"

"To save your stupid piece of bone!" She yelled without looking back at him.

Sokka was dumbfounded. Slapping his forehead, he murmured to himself.

"_Now_ what have I done?"

Katara was annoyed. Not just at her brother, but also at herself. How could she just have blown up like that?

But then again, her brother _had_ been irresponsible and irritating. Did he just have any idea how bad his socks smelt when she washed the clothes? Or how she had to spend ages on clearing all the frozen ice on the sole of his boot? Or –

_Stop it! _She told herself. Stop _whining right now. It won't do anyone any good._

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she took in her surroundings. She had just entered one of the back streets which were really quiet and dark.

Reaching an area where no light could get to at all, Katara stopped. It wasn't that she was scared of the dark…but she could never know what was there. Taking a deep breath, she took one step forward into the darkness…

…and nothing happened. Sighing with relief, she walked on –

To trip and be grabbed by a stranger's rough hand. Opening her mouth to scream, she found a wad of mucky cloth shoved in.

"Who are you and what purpose do you have here?" said a thick, monstrous voice.

It wasn't the thief, but someone else. The thief had been tall and thin, but this man was slimy and built on muscle.

However, a quick analysation of him gave her some valuable information. The man had chosen to ambush her in the worst possible place. It was between two normal houses, and already they could hear the different families going about their work inside.

Also, due to stupidity or to sheer carelessness, the man had asked her a question while expecting her to answer with a gag on.

He was not exactly intelligent.

"I'm bringing you back to the Fire Nation. Water peasants are hard to catch in an Earth village."

Katara put forlorn expression on her face, then looked down.

"But before that, I'm having some fun with you."

She looked up, scared. _This_ was frightening.

The man pushed her up to the wall, his eyes closed as he leaned in to smell her face. He bent closer, his breath contaminating the air around her –

"That'll do, Ouyang."

The strangely boyish yet slightly raspy voice gave that calm order. Looking up, Katara met the face of a boy. She saw the right side of his head. It was quite handsome, but his golden eyes were what stood out.

The boy turned to face her and Katara gasped inwardly. His left eye and surrounding area had been scorched, the flesh a reddish-brown.

His eyes met hers, and for a moment, they both felt an inaudible shock. It felt like lightning and ice both surrounding their bodies.

The boy quickly turned his head away to face the man who had tried to take advantage of her.

"I believe you did not come to dally with women. I am most displeased."

That raspy voice gave no emotion away at all, except for a constant anger.

The man walked out of the shadows. When he straightened out of the light, Katara could see that he wore a Fire Navy unifom.

Were they all from the Fire Nation?

Now that her arms were not pinned down anymore, Katara ripped the gag out of her mouth and ran. She had to tell someone about these people!

Someone was running after her.

Suddenly, she felt a sharp rap of a blade hilt on the back of her head.

Her legs crumpled beneath her and her world went black.

For a moment, though, she thought she saw the figure of that boy stepping into her view…


	3. The Stranger Suan

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Hello! So, this is the chapter where Katara meets someone strange, and new… cool, ne?

**Chapter 3: The Stranger Suan**

Katara awoke to several voices.

"– lying there, with a slight wound in the back of her head. It was frightening, because we were just next door and heard nothing. I wonder…who could've done that sort of thing to a young girl?"

"Well, I have to thank you very much for taking care of her."

"It's fine. We don't see many water villagers nowadays. Especially not young handsome men…"

"Haha, I know I do look great."

"Oh, look! You're sister's awake."

Sokka, who had had his back turned to Katara, twisted around and frowned at her. Ignoring his expression, she sat up, wincing as she felt the slight pain in the back of her head.

Sitting next to her brother was a young Earth Kingdom girl. She had long black hair, and had quite a cute face. It was no wonder that Sokka had seemed to take a fancy to her.

"I'll go make some tea." The girl said, sensing that Sokka wanted to talk to his sister alone. Sokka shot a grateful glance her way, then turned back to Katara once the door was shut.

They sat in an uncomfortable silence, neither knowing what to say. Then Sokka murmured,

"I was worried about you."

"Hmm. How long was I unconscious?"

"A day."

"Oh."

They lapsed into a silence once more, until Sokka couldn't stand holding in his disapproving thoughts and said,

"Why did you go alone, Katara? Do you know how long I spent fretting and – worrying – over you? What happened?"

"I – I was attacked by a man." She told him her story, omitting the part about the boy and the fact that they had been from the Fire Nation.

From outside, Luo, who was making tea for Sokka and Katara, heard sounds of an argument build up. She was about to enter when the door swung away from her open and standing in the doorframe was a boiling Katara. Her two strands of hair that connected to her plait were practically vibrating.

"Thank you for your help and hospitality. I'm leaving now, getting away from Sokka. Please take care of him and make sure he doesn't kill himself."

Katara brushed off past Luo, grabbed her sack and went out the house door.

Luo just stood there, unsure of what to do.

Sighing, she decided to talk to Sokka about the situation.

Katara's inner emotions were in a huge storm, the torrents of water moving with great power. Her _own brother_ had personally said, not for the first time, that she was no use as a waterbender. Inside, she knew just how unlearned in the art of bending she was. What she really wanted was some time alone.

Looking at her surroundings, she cursed herself for her stupidity. Wandering with no direction had done her no good. She was in a thick part of woodland, and she had wandered off the main path. If she hadn't had her map, she would've been panicking by now.

Reaching for her sack, she fumbled with the knot, hands running all over it. Suddenly, her fingertips touched nothing. Puzzled, she took a closer look.

There was a hole in her sack. Desperately hoping what might happen wouldn't happen, she opened the bag quickly and fumbled for the map. She couldn't find it.

Sitting back on the ground with a sigh, she slapped herself on the forehead.

An hour or so passed as she sat there, not knowing what to do. She mused on the recent incident.

"'You 'kay?" asked a gruff female voice.

Katara looked up sharply, startled. She hadn't even heard the woman come up to her side.

"Ohh…well, I'd like some help because well, I'm lost and I lost my map."

The woman was tall and slender, her skin the colour of copper, like Katara's. She was wearing a long, skin-tight and grey upper garment and leggings. The colour obviously helped her move in the shadows very discreetly. Her boots had a tanned-hide sole, which helped with her silent movement. Her face radiated calculation.

There was a similarity between the two females: they both had blue eyes.

Katara stared at the woman. She had never seen her before, but the woman obviously had some connection to the Water Tribes. Then she obviously had to be from the Northern Water Tribe. However, she thought that the Northerners also wore blue parkas, just like them. And all the girls' and womens' hair was in a long plait with a slight wrap at the root of the plait, and two strands of hair from the front loosely attached to the wrap.

"Are you from the Water Tribes?" they both asked each other simultaneously.

Katara blushed, then said, "Yes, I am from the Southern Water Tribe. How about you? Are from the North?"

The woman looked away slightly, appearing uncomfortable a this subject. "They say that they allow girls to learn waterbending in the South."

Katara took that slight display of knowledge to be a 'Yes' to her own questions. "Well, in the old days they used to, but because of the Great Battle, all the trainers are gone. I am born a bender, but I can only barely do anything."

These words were actually formerly spoken by Sokka, and repeating them opened her eyes to the real truth: she wanted to learn more.

"You'd like to learn?"

"Yes, of course. I'm the only bender to have been born in two generations in my family. My brother thinks that bending is wishy-washy, but I want to be able to fight." Considering telling the story to a stranger, she paused.

"I'm sorry. It must seem rude of me to ask so many things of you at once. I'm Suan. What's your name?"

"Katara. If you don't mind, can you take me to the nearest settlement? I need to buy –" She fumbled in her sack for the coins she had. "Huh? Where's my money? Great. I must've lost them _as well_ as my map."

"I can take you to a place where we can give you supplies. You can even stay there a few days."

"Really? Oh, that would be so nice! Thank you! Im afraid I don't have anything to give –"

"I don't want anything."

As Suan said this, Katara noticed that the older woman was watching her intensely.

"Let's go."

They traveled for about three days, talking very little. Suan, Katara discovered, was not a great talker.

On the third evening, Suan stopped at a river. She turned so that her side faced the water, her legs square with her body and raised her hands fluidly. She brought them down gently. Following her hand's movements, the water all parted to reveal a tunnel at the bottom. It blocked the water out with frozen ice.

Suan was a waterbender, and a skilled one!


	4. Entrance

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender and the idea originates from the anime _Claymore_.

By the way, Suan is a Chinese character coming from the Chinese phrase, 'to calculate'.

Remember to REVIEW!! (if you're reading this at all)

**Chapter 4: Entrance**

Katara watched all this with wonder, admiration and surprise in her eyes. She hadn't known that her companion was a bender, and such a skilled one at that!

"Before you come in, you must swear that you will never tell anyone from the other nations about us." Suan faced Katara.

Katara was puzzled. 'Us'?

Suan noticed her expression, and suddenly changed her composure. She was fierce, proud, but also kind.

"Us, meaning we who have found the true arts of waterbending, we who were forbidden to fight. We who were reviled for wanting to fight because we were thought inferior. You may have heard of us. Our society was founded by the greatest woman of all time, Sedna." Her voice carried a mild bitterness.

_Sedna. Where have I heard that before?_

Katara gasped in realisation, and said, "You're the Blayders!"

"People outside call us that, yes. You must have thought we were the stuff of stories. Do I look like a story?" she asked with a rare grin.

"Almost."

Suan snorted in reply. Then, she led Katara into the tunnel just big enough for a woman.

The tunnel was dark and damp, but she could hear the echoes of the raging river all around her. Katara felt so…_elated_.

"I like it here."

"I thought so."

They trudged on peacefully through the channel, Katara feeling the rhythm of the water all around her.

After half an hour of walking, they came out of the tunnel and into a blue-hued hall. Katara squinted at first, since her eyes had yet to get used to the light.

As she opened them, she gasped. The place they were in was magnificent! The walls were all specially treated ice that was more transparent yet harder to melt or break through, as was the ceiling and floor.

This was a huge dining hall, filled with around 900 people. There were many fireplaces dotted all over the place, just like in all the Water Tribe huts. In the centre was the biggest fire, and a group of wise-looking women sat around it, formerly discussing something, but had stopped as soon as Katara and Suan had entered, like the rest of the women.

Katara was embarrassed, and looked anywhere but the many females' eyes, while Suan cleared her throat and introduced her.

"My sisters, I bring from the Southern Water Tribe the daughter of Hakoda, chief of their tribe."

Silence ensued, and all the girls and young women still stared at Katara. They were definitely not used to newcomers.

"Whadda youse all doin', starin' at arr gest like that? Dontcha all know the meanin' o' respect?" boomed a deep voice, coming from a middle-aged woman sitting at the central fire. She was obviously a threatening figure, because as soon as she spoke all the young girls snapped round to their own business.

Suan nodded at her in thanks and walked over to the fire. "Honourable elders, Miss Katara here needs provisions to continue the rest of her journey home, and rest."

Around the fire sat twelve ladies, most of them tough-looking and had grim eyes. One young woman, the youngest of the circle, had white hair. She was the same age as Katara, and seemed slightly out of place with the rest. The woman who had yelled at all the other girls was covered in scars, and had her eyelids painted in purple. There were zig-zagged tattoos all over her hairline, down her arm and down her spinal cord. Her hair was tied into a high ponytail.

All the other women were basically elders and wise-looking people, although one had an uncomfortable gleam in her eye. Katara ignored it.

The white-haired girl stood, a warm smile in her eyes and on her lips. "Come with me. I'll find a room for you to stay the night."

Katara smiled in return, liking her.

When Katara and Yue, the white-haired girl, had walked off out of sight and earshot, the tattooed woman, stocky and lithe, stared at Suan suspiciously.

"Wha's up wivyer strange behayviour, Suan? Yer not normally inclined ter kin'ness."

Suan remained impassive and ever calculating. "Master Youkani, you know me too well. Well, the fact is, I think our numbers have been decreasing. It seems something has changed the women of the Norths' longing will for knowledge."

"…And?" the oldest woman around the circle, Lady Maska, inquired.

"Well, maybe we should investigate our sister tribe as well as our home tribe, starting with Katara."

Katara plopped onto the mattress in the small room that had been allotted to her. All the way, Yue had been really friendly – and innocent. It seemed like the girl knew very little of the outside world.

She had asked about the whole society, her interest roused. Secretly, Katara wanted to join the wonderful organization, where all the women were orderly arranged, and skilled in bending.

However, she knew she would miss her family terribly, like they would her. _Thinking of family, I wonder how Sokka's doing, _she thought. _I guess I really shouldn't have stomped out on him like that._

"Miss Katara?" a voice came from outside the tent flap. "It's Yue. D'you mind coming with me? It seems that the elders want to see you."

"Wait a minute." Called Katara. She donned her parka once more, and pulled on her boots. Then, she stepped out to greet her friend.

They walked to the Tent of Council and found the same group of leaders around the fire in the middle of the tent. Yue motioned for the spot for Katara to sit, then stood behind Lady Maska. Katara noticed that they looked similar.

Suan was nowhere to be seen, but the warrior called Youkani spoke up.

"Katara, we're going to be very direct."

"Yes?" Katara was puzzled by the serious tone in her voice. She prayed the matter at hand had no dealings with her.

"We would like more girls to join us, if they wouldn't mind. However, it seems our sisters from the north have stopped wanting this valuable knowledge." As she said this, Youkani shifted her fingers in a strange twist. Water from the pitcher next to her jumped up out of its container and flowed gently into a cup in her other hand. Katara stared at this, transfixed.

The real truth hit her Katara. She wanted that power. To be one with the water, losing herself in it. She would use it to help people, not abuse the power entrusted to her like the Fire Nation did.

But she would have to come to this place, so far away from home. Away from Sokka, Gran-Gran, and maybe never get to see her dad ever again.

"We want you to stay with us, as an apprentice."


	5. Apprentice And New Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Hmm. Katara gets some new friends. Ta…da?

**Chapter 5: Apprentice And New Friends**

"We want you to stay with us, as an apprentice."

The words were spoken softly, but in Katara's mind, they pealed out as loudly as a bell in spring.

"Do I have a choice?"

Youkani frowned. "Of course you do. Here we emphasise comprehension, not oppression."

Katara looked down. "I–I think I need time to think, if that's alright…"

Lady Maska peered at Katara through her eyelashes. "You have three days, then, if you accept, you must stay. We will send a message to your family discreetly for your things, but I am afraid you will only be able to see your family once a year, and only for a day. Consider your decision. This will have a big affect on your life."

"If I accept, when can I leave? Surely I don't have to stay here forever…"

The Lady pursed her lips in a slight disapproval, but then whispered, "You may leave, like some benders do, when you pass your tests of Mastery. If you do not wish to do that, you may study further and achieve the level of an Adept, although not many can. Most spend an average of about five years to pass their Mastery, but their Shifus (A/N: is Cantonese, and although I'm Cantonese, the Mandarin way of speaking is more…native) are the ones that decide when hey take their tests."

Katara sat back, thinking. Five whole years? She would be seventeen then, a grown-up woman. And to see Sokka and Gran-Gran for only a day a year…

To others, it may have seemed as if Katara had sat thinking hard for a long while, but inside her mind, her subconscious reached for her inner energy, the pool of water that gave her the power to bend.

Her mind looked into the pool at the reflection, staring beyond the depths. Deep down, something was trying to tell her something. She leaned over the pool, and gasped. An icy feeling was thrust through her heart for a moment, then gone.

Katara sat up straighter all of a sudden. She had a sudden strong urge to do this. Her inner pool had been trying to tell her that all along.

"I accept your offer."

It was as if the ladies gathered around here didn't know what to think when she said it. Then Yue broke into one of her beautiful smiles, and said, "Welcome to the society, Katara."

Yue walked Katara out of the tent to move her to some other rooms. Since Katara had been staying at one of the spare huts at first, she would move into the Apprentices' section.

As they walked, Yue told Katara about how the ice fort (A/N: That's what this whole place where they live is) was built. The entire fort was actually at the west border of Water Tribe territory. It was much too close to the earth kingdom, in Water Tribe opinion, but it served the purpose of the hideout fort.

It was built in the shape of a circle, and they had several floors down. The top floor, which they were on, was where most entrances led to, and the training area divided up into sections. The second floor down was the eating hall and kitchens, where Katara had previously entered, the third floor down had many rooms for the Adepts and Masters, the fourth floor were the other spare rooms for any old purpose, like classes. The last floor down was for the Apprentices.

Katara first went to visit her room. The women here had strange habits: they didn't live in huts or tents. _Maybe that's how the Northerner's live_, she thought. She was told that her pack would be in her room, which she was to name. Another strange habit, she supposed.

"_From the stairwell you go down from, turn to your right and walk until you reach the 17th door. The doors we have here are made to resemble the ones in the Earth Kingdom, wooden ones. There'll be a slate on the door for your name and your room name."_

That had been what Yue had told her. She had seen many of the Earth Kingdom's doors, but they had all been different. Maybe they just meant wooden doors, she mused.

At last she arrived at the 17th door. Staring at it, Katara blinked. The door had not been what she'd expected, the plain wood of the commoner carpenters in the Earth Kingdom. It was carved by extremely fine knives, with beautiful patterns of many symbols and shapes. In her long line of thought, she hadn't noticed that each of the other doors were similar – but different in the carvings.

Timidly, she ran her hands over the carvings, fingertips gentle, as if her own body were afraid to break the beautiful, wood door.

After her thorough inspection of the marvelous door, Katara's hands found her way to the door-handle and gently pushed it open. She stepped in and closed the door behind her.

Turning around, she stared long and hard at the room that was to be hers. It was in the shape of a square, with a bed on the south wall, a desk at the east and a set of drawers, a wall-mounted cabinet and a shelf in the west. It was a beautiful little room, and Katara realized she had never had a room to herself before.

Still, it was nothing glamorous, and Katara was content. Life in a prestigious place would be unnerving. Looking around, she saw that the furniture, too was made of wood, but some, more pretty parts were of carved bone.

Her sack lay at the foot of her bed, and some sheets, a pillow and a blanket lay on her bed. The bed was just a very thick mattress (so thick that it went to her upper thigh), on the ground. Beside her bed, she noticed, was a pair of white slippers for her to use. They were simple and temporary, but Katara had never thought to use them for moving around in her room before.

On her desk lay a set of plain writing utensils and a small pile of paper. _I wonder what that's for,_ she wondered. At home, she had learnt her letters, but not much apart from that.

Exploring her storage area, she discovered that her cabinet's back board seemed thicker than it ought to be. Maybe there was a secret compartment about it? Grinning at the prospect of this little secret, she ran her fingers all over the cabinet, but found nothing.

Just then, a knock sounded on her door. It was probably Yue or even Suan, wanting to know if she'd settled in.

She did _not_ expect a bunch of girls her age, all wearing a white robe of an Apprentice under their parkas. There were five of them in total, and they all blushed a little when Katara stared them blankly, clearly not expecting them.

After a lot of pushing and whispering, one of the girls, a girl with dark black hair, was shoved o the front, obviously elected as spokeswoman.

"Umm - err – we just wanted to say hi. And. Welcome to the Society."

"You're forgetting something, Hana!" a loud whisper came from the girl directly behind Hana. She had a narrow face and thin, small eyes – but they were fun-loving. She blushed when Katara inspected her.

"Ohh. Umm. I'm Hana. Uhh – would you – would you – like, like to be our friend?"

Katara had an extremely surprised expression on her face. She had never before had a friend the same age as her, since there weren't many girls in her generation at home.

And more – these girls had just offered their friendship like it was a simple thing. Their _friendship_. That was very confusing.

"Ohh – it's ok if you don't want to be friends with us – we'll just – go…I guess. Umm, bye…"

"Hey, no, wait! That wasn't what I meant it's just that…well, I've never had a proper friend before. So." She blushed in embarrassment. How could thee first thing she said to her new friends be this _stupid_?

The girl with the narrow, thin face was the first to laugh. It was a high-pitched, throaty sort of laugh, and it was so contagious that everyone else started laughing.

When they had all calmed down, introductions were made. The girl with the small eyes introduced herself as Kokoro. Terke was a tall, slender young lady that held herself up high-and-mightily, but she was wise, generous and a good listener: she was the personal apprentice to Lady Maska herself. Anata had reddish-brown hair – more on the brown side, and was a smart-talking, cunning girl. The last young lady, Sair Lin was short and lithe – she was the best bender and the most experienced warrior – her Master was Youkani, who, although not the best bender, was the best combat warrior in the entire society. Hana, along with Kokoro, were the girls who were hyper and cheered up the others most of the time.

Katara watched in wonder and awe. These girls were all truly friends – they loved each other, that was evident enough. She was glad that she had made friends on her first day.

She grinned.


	6. Candor And The Masters

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Just as I finished typing up this chappie, the blasted computer restarted. I suppose it is partly my fault for not saving it, but...argh!!

Do enjoy.

By the way just as an additional fact, Hana and Kokoro's personalities are based on my best friend's!

**Chapter 6: Candor And The Masters**

Katara was awoken from her wonderful bed by a thundering bell. It was so loud that she sat up, jumped, and fell on the floor.

"Ooof." Not a nice entrance into her first training day.

She dressed quickly to meet her master, wanting to have a fresh start to the morning.

During the past few days she had really settled in. Her trunk from home had arrived, with presents and letters from her tribe. Sokka's letter was an outraged one that made Katara smile, demanding that she return home at once. Gran-Gran's, in contrast, was happy and congratulated Katara on the honour of being able to bend – at last.

At first, she had been homesick, but when her new friends had charged into her room it was so funny that Katara was cheered up at once. They had all helped her with getting to know her way around.

All though it had been three days, Katara felt that she had known Hana, Kokoro, Terke, Anata and Sair Lin for years.

When Katara slipped her custom-made new Apprentice's robe on, she sighed. To think that catching a robber had anything to do with her learning to bend! She'd never have guessed.

Today was the day when a selection of Masters interested in a new Apprentice tested her and a few other new girls to see if she was worthy to be taught by them. Katara wondered who would choose her.

When she turned around to lock her door with her key, she looked at the slate hanging above her head.

_Katara, Southern Water Tribe_

_Room of Candor_

Yup, that was what she had named her room. Candor. (A/N: Cheesy, isn't it?) She hoped the name represented her. A free expression. She was finally free from her worries of not being able to bend.

"Katara! Katara! Oi, you, wait up!" Hana was a comical sight, flailing arms and legs, yelling down the corridor, her hair up in a bun. Her hair was up in a different style every day, but it was sure that Kokoro's and Hana's styles would always be the same.

Katara stopped and waited for Hana to catch up. "Finally! I thought you had just about turned deaf! Or were you just ignoring me?"

Katara grinned. "Of course. You don't take me for a bat, do you?" They both laughed.

"What's so funny?" a voice behind them whispered.

Hana shrieked. "Sair Lin, you freaky person!"

Terke, Kokoro and Anata also joined them now. Soon everyone was talking and laughing.

When they entered the dining hall, the girls scooted over to their usual fire. It was pleasantly warm, and the breakfast was delicious, seaweed bread with prune sauces.

When everyone had finished eating, Youkani stood up at the elders' fire and rapped out orders. Katara and the other new girls were to wait behind. When the entire hall was empty except for Katara and three other girls, four women came in.

The girls bowed to their superiors and would-be Shifus. Katara analysed the women and the other three girls.

The girl who stood furthest away in the line from Katara was fair-haired. She was called Kendel, and looked a bit like a snob, although she was fair. The girl next to her had black hair, and an eager-to-please expression plastered on her face. She said that her name was Anille. The girl standing next to Katara was very quiet and kept her head down, or her fringe covering the left side of her face. She was asked to repeat her name twice, and when she raised her head Katara found that there was a scar running from her right hairline straight down to her jaw. She was named Hie.

The masters introduced were Master Hyacinth, an easy-going smile on her face; Master Kore, an absent attitude mingled with slight passion; Master Ching-Oi, a fussy, mother-like lady and finally –

An _Adept_?

Yes, the last one was introduced as Adept Kestrel. She was dressed strangely, with an elastic material clingy to her body from neck to toe, a raw-hide belt hanging loosely from her hips which a rectangular cloth hung from the back of, reaching the middle of her calves. A long rope was curled around her waist like a corset, the end also hanging from her belt, on the left side.

As far as Katara knew, Adepts _never_ took on first-year Apprentices. And one was doing that now? All the girls bristled with excitement. Who would the Adept choose to teach?

Katara thought, _this woman's got to be eccentric. Most Adepts are really snotty, aren't they? The ones I've met certainly are._

Was it her, or did Katara see Master Youkani frown when she introduced Adept Kestrel?

"You are all to have the rest of the day off from the chores. Given two hours each, you will spend some time with these masters, for them to pick out which one of you they will choose as an Apprentice. Mind you, if I hear a word of bad behaviour from these respected masters, I will personally set you punishment work." Punishments around the society were given as menial chores, extra ones and much harder than their daily ones.

"First off, Miss Kendel will go with Adept Kestrel, Miss Anille with Master Hyacinth, Miss Hie with Master Kore, and Miss Katara with Master Ching-Oi. Girls, at the end of the day you will see me in my office, and I will tell you who is to be your master. Dismissed."

In what was left of the afternoon, the girls all did some trials throughout with the Masters and Adept. Katara was last to be together with Adept Kestrel, and Katara was grateful for that. She had seriously wondered whether the strange woman would be a good teacher.

She found that out soon enough.


	7. Hot Baths

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while! Please keep on reading, though… I've also lessened Master Youkani's terrible accent. It's hard to write out.

**Chapter 7: Hot Baths**

Adept Kestrel was strange.

_Very_ strange.

In fact, you might even call her – weird.

"So, for the rest of the day, I just want for us to relax in the hot springs." Adept Kestrel misinterpreted Katara's expression and said, "You didn't know? We have specially heated pools at the lowest floor." She grinned. "Don't worry, we have shared and private baths."

_This lady's got her head wrapped round a rocker, _Katara moaned to herself. She wanted to train, to bend. She wanted to become strong. How did a woman like Adept Kestrel get to be an Adept anyway? As far as she knew, Adepts were higher in bending prowess than Masters. All the women of the Council, with the exception of Youkani, were Adepts.

They went to the third floor, where at one point, the Adept opened a double door and stepped inside. Feeling puzzled, confused and a bit resentful, Katara, too stepped inside.

A pudgy woman sat behind a counter, consuming a cake in the most ladylike yet ravenous way – like how a cat eats when they are hungry.

"Mmf – hi – mmfmmf – Kessie - swallow - the towels'r over thataways."

"Thanks."

The Adept grabbed their robes and towels and handed Katara her pair. They entered some sheltered cubicles and changed.

When Adept Kestrel motioned for Katara to get into the small pool that was to be theirs, Katara slid in carefully. It was nice and hot, a great contrast to the cold weather around them.

Adept Kestrel glided in smoothly too, her entire body submerged under he water from her chin down.

"Can you bend anything at all?"

Katara looked at the Adept and nodded.

"Show me."

Silently, she lifted her hands above the water and gathered an unsteady small ball together, about the size of her fist. Slowly, she spun it in mid-air, allowing it to gather more moisture from the heated pool.

"That's enough."

Katara let her weak ball fall back into the bath, blushing. _I bet all the other girls are much better than I am. What if I don't get chosen by any of the Masters?_

They spent the rest of the hour in the tub, soaking. Eventually, Adept Kestrel sat up straight and flicked her hand at Katara.

"Wharr…?"

"You can go now."

"Ummm…okay…" Katara got out of the tub and bowed slightly to the Adept. "Thank you, Adept Kestrel, for your time."

The woman just flapped her hand at her.

"Come in, yer slacky gals." Master Youkani's sharp voice pierced through the corridor.

The four girls proceeded into the office. It was lit by many candles and a main fire in the middle. There was a desk in the corner of the room, and a bed on the other side. Multitudes upon multitudes of fighting equipment lined the walls.

During the past few days, Katara had heard a few rumours: that Youkani was sometimes nicknamed 'Goddess of Battle' for her absolute skill and strength in all manners of fighting.

The woman, for all her strange looks and accent, was obviously not an easy enemy.

"Naow, it's cert'nly bin a strange choice o' Masters 'n' 'Pprentices this year. Miss Kendel, Master Ching-Oi. Miss Anille, Master Hyacinth. Miss Hie, Master Kore. Yer master says she'll fix up that scar better on yer face. And finally, Miss Katara, Adept Kestrel." Once again, there was that slight disapproving tone in Master Youkani's voice.

"Yer'all expected te do as yer Shifu says, as well as run any errand fer all yer higher-ups. Report te yer Shifu's room every mornin' except the 7th day of te week, after breakfast. The 7th day is everyone's day off. Every three months, if yer be'aviour's bin good, you get te visit the nearby village of the Earth Kingdom for a day or anything else ye want. Yer lessons start tomorrow. Dismissed."

Katara couldn't help pitying herself. How could she have gotten the worst teacher of the lot? She knew she was being unfair, and she knew it. But the prospect of being stuck with Adept Kestrel for five whole years wasn't inviting.

But of course, they wouldn't have allowed the Adept to teach if she hadn't been suitable, would they? Maybe there was something she didn't know about the Adept yet, that was good?

Hana and Kokoro caught up with her as they walked back to the Apprentices' wing.

"What's the matter? You look pretty much down in the dumps." Hana slung her arm around Katara's shoulders.

"Who did you get to teach you?" inquired Kokoro.

"Not Master Kore, surely? I swear, that woman is so totally absent-minded. You know what I mean by that, don't you?"

"Wait a minute…not Master Ching-Oi? She acts like she's your grandmother all the time, but she's not bad."

"Was it Master Hyacinth? Then I see no reason for you to be down. She's the best of all the Shifus in my opinion: understanding, nice, great teacher –"

"No! Guys, listen, it was Adept Kestrel. She seems – I don't know – really weird?"

Silence ensued from her chattery friends. "…Well? Is there something I should know about her? Come on, guys."

"You can't exactly say she's a very – decent – person."

Kokoro nodded in agreement with Hana. She tried to change the subject by saying: "Well anyway, you're going to be a fellow first-ear Apprentice tomorrow, then. In the mornings, we normally work on bending, and then there's lunch and then there's the indoors stuff like arithmetics, reading and writing, history and then studies of other nations." At the phase 'indoors stuff', the girls both pulled faces.

Curious, Katara raised an eyebrow (a clever trick she found that only she could do amongst her new friends). "Why the face?"

"Oh, let's just say we have a mite of trouble with most of those studies."

"And that the fact that we're being tested on them in our Mastery exams don't help, either."

"The teachers hate us."

"And we hate them."

Katara had already been amazed earlier on the week how the two girls could always talk synchronically.

"Hmm. I'm more worried about my bending."

"Well, how would you know? There'll always be someone worse than you." Hana said.

"Maybe." They had reached Katara's room. "Can you _please_ tell me what's going on with Adept Kestrel?"

They waved good-bye to Katara and swept on to their own rooms, but not before Kokoro said:

"They say that the Adept was a slave of the Fire Nation until she ran away at seventeen."


	8. Talent, Life And New Facts

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Whew! If it's getting a little boring for you readers, I'll have you know that we shall skip to the start of the real adventure very, very soon.

Sorry for the shortness of this one. Heehee.

**Chapter 8: Talent, Life and New Facts**

It was a week after Katara began her training. The Adept spent much of her time telling her how weak she was at the moment, although she knew Katara knew it. It was true, Katara had not spent her time amongst other waterbenders, but in the right sense she deserved all the more credit for learning so much for herself.

Adept Kestrel was a good teacher when she wanted to be, laid-back and lazy though she was. She maintained her strange unteacherly habits, but helped Katara learn a great deal.

A year passed. Katara passed her mini tests that helped build all the Apprentices up in preparation for the Waterbending Mastery Exams that were taken when the Masters thought their Apprentices were ready. Kokoro, Hana and Terke took the tests with her, although Anata and Sair Lin took the slightly more advanced ones as they were in their second year.

Katara learnt a great many things about herself. She discovered that her 'social skills' were very good, so she had few enemies. Her main strength was how fairly she judged things. In her small circle of best friends, there were few arguments, but Katara was the one that usually sorted them out, as well as quarrels outside the circle.

Although her bending skills were pretty weak amongst the society, in her second year, Katara discovered some of her strengths in combat waterbending. She was taught the use of a Blayde.

From the beginning, when Adept Kestrel showed up in the training grounds with an ice dagger of some sort, Katara had been mightily intrigued. The skill with Blaydes, which were what the 'Blayders' were famous for, was not actually completely mastered for some members within the society. It was because these projectiles were so useful for anything, that even the slightest know-how of its use made it powerful.

The skill was hard. Adept Kestrel assured Katara it was for everyone, but she was keeping a slight secret from Katara. Most Apprentices were only allowed to learn the use of Blaydes in their third year, whereas Katara was still in her second. Adept Kestrel had seen that Katara had the heart of a true waterbender, and told Katara to not to tell nor show anyone of her new skill.

In her sudden, strong desire to overcome this obstacle, Katara woke extra early in the morning to practice, and stayed up late at night to practice. It seemed that Katara had talent for this particular area.

Her other talents amongst waterbending were predicting movements, attacks, etc. It was another secret of Adept Kestrel's, imitated from her former firebending owner, who had stumbled upon the secret.

It seemed that only people with a true spirit and passion of their people could use this skill. It was another conquest amongst Katara's waterbending weaknesses, but also another secret to keep, even from her friends.

_I wonder if it's because of her many secrets that all the other Masters don't like the Adept?_ thought Katara once. It was true. During her years, Katara found that all the women of the Council disapproved of Adept Kestrel strongly. It was strange, when Adept Kestrel was actually very nice.

Katara was extremely grateful for her friends. Without them, she wouldn't have gotten by life with the Blayders.

Sometimes, the six girls talked about – boys. They had some novels in the library about romance. Hugs, kisses, warmth – and _that_. The girls couldn't help but wonder what _really_ happened when a couple got together in a room, and slept together…

They resorted to ask one of their teachers. Of course, they had to ask the strangest Shifu…all looks turned to Katara.

"Shifu?"

"Yes?"

"Uumm, you know, we girls, well, more like 15-year-olds, haha, well, uh, um, what, like, happens - "

"Katara, are you going to get to the point or not?"

"Yes, Shifu, well," here she took a deep breath and blurted, "what happens when a man and a woman sleep together?"

Here Adept Kestrel threw back her head and laughed. She laughed, and laughed, and laughed. "So that's what you girls have been whispering about all week?"

Katara blushed a little. "Well, yes, Shifu, but if you don't want to answer – "

"It's a good thing you came to me. All your other Masters would be – shall we say – unduly _impressed_."

Katara knew what her Master meant. "Why?"

"I have the most – experience – in that matter, shall we say. You do know that I was a slave before, don't you?" Katara had been amazed by how naturally her Shifu could talk about her slavery with some people. She nodded.

"Well, I was usually a 'bed warmer'. I was bought for all kinds of men to sleep with."

"Is that bad?"

"You could get pregnant if you sleep with a man."

Katara's eyes were as big as saucers. "Really?"

Adept Kestrel grinned. "You girls – I can't say whether we're lucky or not. Because we're sort of 'outlaws' of the Water Tribes – of the Northern one anyway - we don't have to marry for our political families. We can marry for love. However, most women don't like to leave the society once they're admitted as Masters.

"In any case, sleeping with men is a very private thing. With the right person, it's enjoyable, but for 'bed warmers' like the former me, we came and went into the owner's bed at his mere _whim_. You others, who are listening, come out!" All the other girls had been hiding and eavesdropping, and came out of their hiding spots sheepishly.

"Listen," here Adept Kestrel's eyes beautiful blue eyes flashed with passion. "If you ever fall in love, don't ever let the man take anything from you against your will. Especially your heart. You don't know how much it hurts. When it comes to matters of the heart, remember: it's the inside that counts. What's on the outside is a façade most of the time."

The young ladies knew a dismissal when they heard one. They bowed and walked away, but Katara turned back and ran to her Shifu, her long braid flowing out behind her. She stopped in front of her Shifu and hugged the surprised woman.

Kestrel Judd's eyes were astonished. Then, with a smile, she hugged her Apprentice back, the one girl with a true waterbender's spirit within her. She dearly loved the girl as a daughter, as she had never had a real family since her childhood.

Had Katara saved her from being on the verge of freezing her lonely heart?


	9. Trialed Woman

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Oh yeah! My dear laydees and gennelmen, please welcome the start of a magnificent, breathtaking, awe-inspiring, splendid and passionate adventure!!!!! NOT. Well, I hope it'll be a good adventure, but not those over-the-top adjectives included. Haha.

**Chapter 9: Trialed Woman**

Today was the day. It was Katara's turn to take her Waterbending Mastery Exams. She got out of bed and changed into her most well-kept fighting attire. Nearly all of her clothes were for combat, and even her party and other pleasantry clothes enabled easy movement, as was the way of a warrior.

She put on black, skin-tight clothing over her underwear. Looking inside her wardrobe, she found a presentable light long jacket that reached her knees and was slit up the sides for her legs to move with ease.

Lately she had taken to putting tiny ice splinters in her braided hair from a well-learned lesson in one of her fights in the previous annual test, where her opponent had defeated her in the last stroke by grabbing her long braid.

Katara was seventeen, and had developed much in her years. Her blue eyes that held so much emotion in them were large, accompanying her naturally exquisite eyebrows and eyelashes. The rest of her face was pretty much plain, but anyone who saw her eyes saw something else that drew their attention, although what they didn't know. Since she always wore loose garments over her basic skin-tight suit, nobody really ever fussed about her figure, as they did over Yue, who was 'quite a beauty' nowadays.

Closing her closet door, she leaned back and sighed. She had officially left her home for five years now. This year she hadn't been able to visit her family because she was so caught up in her preparations for the Exams. Anata and Sair Lin had held back a year to take the Exams with the other girls. Everyone was taking the test during this month, January.

Katara was still a very weak bender. She tired easily, although her control was decent. When other benders measured her amount of power up, they always remarked on how small it was (A/N: I made this up. Apparently, any bender can 'feel' how much power another bender has. Like in a lot of other animes!).

Her skill with Blaydes and predicting movements was still kept a sore secret. When she practiced with her friends in combat, she didn't activate her movement-predicting and she held back when using Blaydes, using her lack of power as an excuse for most questions, as she couldn't hold back everything.

A knock sounded on the door. Katara opened it to find a group of young women in front of it, their nervous expressions meaning they were uncomfortable. They were none other than Hana, Kokoro, Terke, Anata and Sair Lin. A quick memory flashed in front of Katara's eyes. The first time she had opened that wonderfully made door to find a group of giggling girls, children, asking to be her friend. _It's surprising how five years can pass without you noticing them,_ she thought.

The six striking ladies walked, unusually quiet, down the corridor. They did talk, but smiles were as far as joy went. Needless to say, they were all nervous of the Exam half an hour ahead of them.

As they entered the dining hall, Katara picked up parts of the other girls' and ladies' conversations, all of them nattering about the same event. The exams. That didn't do much to encourage the girls' nerves either.

As Katara ate breakfast, she absently kept her hand on her sleeves, waistband and the back leggings, inside of which Blaydes were stored.

Blaydes had often puzzled Katara when she had first met them, in which the puzzlement turned into great interest. They were actually normal metal blades encased in a smooth case of ice. The smoothness of this encasing had an effect on how well it traveled through air, so there were special benders called Blaydemakers, who of course, make them at a high quality. All the Apprentices had at first trained with just ice blades, as they were easier to control, but Adept Kestrel had, surprisingly, given a real Blayde for Katara to train with from the start, head-on.

After breakfast, Master Youkani stood up and announced that the Waterbending Mastery Exams would officially start in 15 minutes. Her appearance had not changed over the years, with the tattoos, high ponytail and purple-painted eyelids.

All the young women in Katara's year had gotten approval from their Masters to enter the Exams. They sat in a small waiting chamber. There were only two doors in this room: one leading to the rest of the ice fort, and the other to the place where they were examined.

One by one, all the girls' names were called to enter. Each time the ice door opened for them to come out, the girl would stumble out, their friends rushing forward to support them, without any expression but that of gray weariness, or, with some, constant _pain_. All the Apprentices were forbidden to tell of their trial inside the room.

Katara sat in the corner with her friends, a frown on her face. As the girls who had taken the 'exam' slowly left the waiting room, Katara, who was one of the few left, thought, _What kind of exam makes you go through something like_ that It was frustrating.

She looked around her. Only three people were left: Katara herself; Kendel, who had come at approximately the same time as Katara and another girl.

The door to the chamber opened and Sair Lin walked out a few steps slowly, then fell. Katara ran as fast as she could to reach her, and caught her just in time.

"Hey," she crooned softly. "You okay?"

"Ka-tara. Pass this exam - and we can be real – Masters." Then, she fainted.

With a grunt, Katara hoisted Sair Lin's limp form onto her shoulder. Just then, a voice came from the door to the exam room.

"Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

The other girl, not the snotty Kendel, came forward to collect Sair Lin from her. She murmured that Sair Lin would be fine with her.

With a last glance at the sagging outline of one of her best friends, Katara turned and walked into the room, closing the ice door with a graceful flick of her hand behind her back.

_THE FOLLOWING TRIAL OF KATARA, APPRENTICE TO ADEPT KESTREL JUDD HAS NOT BEEN RECORDED OR KNOWN._

_THEREFORE, IT IS ONLY KNOWN THAT SHE SUFFERED SERIOUSLY._

**A Week Later**

Katara lay on her bed in her room, staring at the ceiling and thinking deeply. _I know I'll never forget that trial. It oughtn't to be called a trial. It was a nightmare for all of us._

She got off the bed and closed her open door. Then, sitting on the chair, she lifted her shirt up to her chest and looked at her abdomen, above her navel.

On the surface was the symbol of the Water Tribes, drawn on with a seemingly irremovable black ink. _I got it when I took the trial, I know I did! I just…don't really remember it._

_What do I do now? Go back home? What then? Go back to the way life was, washing Sokka's socks, fishing, canoeing? No. I wanted to learn waterbending, to help with the war. Or rather, to help the victims of war. But one waterbender, however good, can't stop the war. It's not like I'm any good anyway. No one else wants to go back to the outside world. Not Terke, Anata, Sair Lin, Kokoro…nor Hana._

She pulled on a cloak and went outside for a walk. A lot of people passed her by, anxious to see the results of the 'exam', whether their friends had passed or not. She caught other bits of their conversations:

"– she looked real bad, all pale and wobbly-like."

"– no! No! Of course not –"

" – said that she would travel the world, fall in love and live happily ever after. In that order –"

_Travel?_

Of course! Now, why hadn't she thought of _that_?

She would travel the world, find something to do, like healing people or something, and live happily ever after. Almost exactly what the girl had said, but only _almost_. She had no intention of falling in love.

Or did she?


	10. A Reasonable Purpose

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Okay. I guess the other chapter wasn't a real start of the adventure…oh well. I can't wait 'till Zuko comes in! (obviously, I'm zutarian, heehee)

**Chapter 10: A Reasonable Purpose**

In a small room of ice, ten senior women sat, cross-legged, in a circle. In the middle a fire was lit, to keep them warm.

It seemed that the group was waiting for someone. There was no tension in the air, only grave formality.

A knock on the ice door caused the oldest woman to say, "Enter."

The door opened, admitting two young ladies. One had hair as white and smooth as fresh silk. The other had equally beautiful hair, only it was completely dark.

The one with white hair spoke. "My Elders, it is a great pleasure that the entire Council has gathered for a trivial request from one of the new Masters, Katara of the Southern Water Tribe."

They always called Katara 'Katara of the Southern Water Tribe'. Maybe it was because she wasn't considered an outlaw within her tribe, unlike the rest of the former Northen Water tribeswomen.

Lady Maska smiled at Yue. Then she faced Katara, who now stood in the centre of the circle, in front of the fire.

"What is your request, Master?"

_The new title 'Master' really does take getting used to, compared to the 'Apprentice' I was called just two weeks ago._

"I have come here because I wish to leave the society to travel the world and use my powers for a good cause."

"What sort of good cause?"

"To heal, to teach, to learn and to protect. And mainly…to help with the war."

Murmurs arose. The Elders clearly had different ideas about this 'cause'.

"To risk our secrecy for the world of men?"

"To _help others_, Lady Maska! Have you not seen how much pain this hideous war is having on people, including women? It's not just the Water Tribes, but the Earth Kingdom is suffering too!"

Nearly everybody gave a sort of gasp. Katara was – belittling – one of the Elders?

Katara bowed, whether as an apology or a plea, none could tell.

"I am impressed with your passion for others, but until you can learn to rein in that passion, I cannot allow you to go."

Unbeknownst to all the others, Katara rolled her eyes. She straightened, then said stiffly, barely audibly, "And here I thought the 'Blayders' specialized in _freedom_."

As Lady Maska drew herself up with blazing eyes, Katara said more clearly this time, "I suppose I am dismissed." and turned to go.

"Wait."

Katara turned to face the elders with a frown, sure that that voice had been –

"Do you have something to say, Yue?" asked Lady Maska.

Yue spoke to all the Elders. "Yes, Honourable Lady. I wish to say that I – I agree with Katara. I mean no disrespect entirely, but – was it not you who said, five years ago, '_You may leave, like some benders do, when you pass your tests of Mastery._'? I think that she has the right, as a woman, to decide for herself what to put all her efforts in. And her purpose, Elders, is reasonable, is it not?"

There was silence. Yue was known as a very sensible and mature young lady, almost part of the Council of Elders.

Master Youkani stood up, non-verbally asking for the chance to speak. "I agree with both these young ladies. The war is raging on our front doors, and it is very serious. If Master Katara voluntarily wants to help, she may."

And so Katara was given permission to leave her home for the previous five years for as long as she wished.

-----

----- 

A week later, Katara stood at the doorway that she had come in through five years ago, when she was 12. All her friends stood there, including Adept Kestrel, Suan (they were still friends) and even Master Youkani.

Katara didn't know whether to laugh or cry, she was so happy at being of free in the outside world again, but also sad that she had to leave her close, close friends.

"Come back soon, after you've seen what it's like outside!"

"Bring us portraits of cute boys!"

"Don't forget my advice!"

"We'll be waiting for you, right here."

Hana was wailing. In fact, most of the girls had teardrops in their eyes. Adept Kestrel, Suan, Master Youkani and Terke remained tearless. Or was something glistening in the Adept's eye?

Katara said farewell to them, kissed them and hugged them.

For the first time in five decades, a Master, and a green one at that, left the society to travel.

She walked through the tunnel, not for the first time since she first came, for she used this tunnel when she had visited her family before. Still, it reminded her of her first time through.

_Her running after a thief...finding herself grabbed by a fire soldier…the boy with the scar._

The boy. Who had he been? The son of an important lord, maybe even within the Fire Nation?

She had never discussed him with her friends. Something told her not to. It was probably her pool of power, which she always referred back to for decisions, ever since the first time she had encountered it.

Still, there was no need to discuss it. She never forgot him. Ever.

_Why_, though? Her mind was puzzled over the reason why she hadn't forgotten him. She didn't even know his name.

Was it that – electric – gaze that they had shared? His poor, poor scar? The way his voice had seemed to _rasp_ his way through things? The way he carried himself around, the noble air?

She was puzzled. Sometimes, her mind even forgot her family, her friends, her teachers to open her mind to browse through those questions about him. She realized that she had arrived at the ice door that stopped that water from coming through.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She could picture the scene in her mind's eye. The water behind the door was strong, with an additional current. Sweeping her arms to her sides firmly, she parted the waters and froze the front parts with a softly released breath.

Then she drew the door open and stepped out.

_Sunlight!_

How different it felt to the ice-built fortress. She loved the sun, its fire, and her old ice home as well, but wanted both.

She crossed the river, and when she was on the other side, she defrosted the ice wall and let the water run behind her once more.

At long last, Katara had begun her journey.


	11. Witch Doctor Shui

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

This is STILL a bit of an intro, but I suppose it IS necessary…enjoy.

**Chapter 11: Witch Doctor Shui**

"How much are these, sir?"

"Well, you look like a pretty well-clothed girl, with that pretty cloak. Four coins."

"You sold it for one to that woman just now." The girl had a low voice, and her face was covered by her hood.

"Well, she's a woman I've been fancying for some time now…Come on, a few coins aren't a tael."

"Two coins."

The green-clad shopkeeper frowned. He was a bit of miser, and seeing a young girl talk so gently made him pushy. He didn't know that his customer happened to be a waterbender.

"Deal."

The girl took one of the white, steamy-hot buns and walked away. Walking down this alley and turning down the other, she found a deserted, stone-mounted pavilion. Checking that nobody was watching, she pulled down her hood.

Her face wasn't fantastically beautiful, but it wasn't like a complete hag either. Tanned dark, it wasn't a usual sight in the Earth Kingdom, and her gently curving brows marked her as pensive. Her jaw was set, obstinate, yet positive.

The thing that marked her as striking were her eyes. You could unmistakably see several shades in them, and the light it sparked made you think of something subtle. It was enlightening.

The girl was Katara, of course. She had found a trail that pointed to the city of Omashu, which she had read about back at the old ice fort. The story was called "The Legend Of The Two Lovers", and it had been a woman who had built the huge city. _Ha. That just shows how powerful we women are. Not like that man that sold me this,_ she looked down at her mantou (traditional Chinese buns). _He was gross, leering at the woman before me like that._

In fact the village she was in wasn't Omashu, but a post-town for travellers, but she didn't any unfriendly eyes seeing her distinct Water Tribe eyes.

She leaned against one of the wooden pillars, looking up at the ceiling. For the first time in her life, Katara felt alone. Free, yes, but without the presence of another, comforting or no. Biting into the warm bun in her right hand, she tucked a stray hair behind her ear with the other.

She slid down the pillar to sit on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. The bun was tasty in her mouth, and all she could think about was that she had nothing to do. Sooner or later, she would have to find a way to earn her keep.

Behind her she heard footsteps. Quickly drawing up her hood, she finished the bun and stood up quietly. It was two men approaching, and judging their voices, they were worried.

"He is so stupid, to get into a fight with a _Fire Nation soldier_. I mean, everybody knows that bunch is trouble."

There was Fire Nation here? Why hadn't she heard? _I'd better get out, fast, _she thought. But the man's reply made her stop and think.

"Stupid he may be, but he's my brother, and he's hurt. Isn't there a healer anywhere?"

She'd thought that healing, also one of her rare talents, would be a good 'job' for her. At least, to get money. If she was going to do this, she'd better start now.

Stepping out of the shadows, she deepened her voice and, in an educated voice, said, "You were looking for a healer, mister?"

Both men looked like they had been stuck with pins, she came out so suddenly. The brother of the hurt man said, "Y-yes, do you happen to know one?"

Clearing her throat, she took the air of a scholar as her disguise. "I _happen_ to be an individual who has grasped the meaning of reconciling my fellow humans when they are injured or ill. However, I am afraid my assistance is not without a charge."

Both men were a little baffled, but Katara thought that they had understood the general meaning. "How much?"

"Several hundred coins ought to do, depending on the significance of the situation."

The other man beckoned for Katara to follow them, and they set off to the southern part of the village. They walked along the stone-paved walks, passing Chinese houses, strange birds flying around them every now and then.

At last, they arrived at a pretty big house. These people were probably middle-class. She was invited in by a white-haired old lady, who was wringing her hands nervously.

"Where is the patient?"

They led her to a room, divided into three sections. There was an assortment of wooden furniture: and bed with dark blue drapes. On the bed lay a man whose right arm had been cut quite deeply. His face was black and blue, with bruises everywhere.

With a quick examination, Katara asked for a large bowl of water and clean bandages. With all her equipment gathered, she asked to be alone.

The man was unconscious, so he wouldn't see her waterbending. He was quickly losing a lot of blood, in addition to the white infection within the man's flesh.

Gathering strength from her inner pool of energy, she encased her hand in the film-thin layer of water, and put her hand on the wound. She allowed more water to seep into his cut, making it _force_ the infection out. Slowly, very slowly, she made the water open up the blocked energy paths, and felt the flesh knit together beneath her hands.

The bruises and black eye on his face were easy enough, and took less time. To make it seem like she'd done the normal way of healing, she wrapped the man's arm where it had been hurt tightly.

Done, she called the other family members back in. It had taken a whole hour, she realized, and she was tired. She hadn't practiced any of her healing skills much, since it had been a month and a half since she had left her friends and Masters.

The man was still sleeping as Katara received her strings of coins. She had an ear-splitting headache. _I'm so gods-cursed weak!_ She thought. Booking a room at the local inn for the night, she slept. She planned to get away from the village as soon as it was light.

In the two months after that, spring turned into summer. It was stifling all the time, so Katara took off much of her clothing off, only wearing her dark skin-tight base and her cloak. The cloak was always buttoned at the front – it wouldn't do for anyone to easily determine her gender. As always, her hood was kept up.

The first time somebody found out that Katara's healing was immediate, they grabbed her and paid her more than she needed. The real Katara wouldn't have accepted all the extra money, but the scholarly healer she pretended to be, Shui, was a miser.

As it was, 'Witch Doctor' Shui was, as the name implied, suspected of using magic, but it (nobody could tell her gender, she made sure of that) was reasonable with money, and did almost flawless jobs. In the past two months, Shui became quite a name amongst the low- and middle-classes, as it was one of the rare healers that helped them, but strangely never the higher-classes.

She told her clients to keep her name a secret from the higher-ups. Katara was afraid that the more clever nobles and rich merchants would figure that there was a waterbender within the Earth Kingdom.

She was desperately afraid, in fact, for she wanted her freedom to be hers alone. She hated the Fire Nation with a deadly fire, most of all. She didn't want the Fire nobility finding out about her.

Katara's fears came true very, very, soon.


	12. Omashu

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

At last!!!

Emerge, Exiled Prince of the Fire Nation! flourishing bow

**Chapter 12: Omashu**

It started when Katara did reach Omashu during mid-July. Her first impression of it was a huge stone wall. Entering, she introduced herself as Shui, healer and scholar.

As the two earthbender guards opened the huge gate, Katara looked up. The size of the wall was unimaginable, unless you'd seen it.

Katara blinked. Had she imagined it, or had she seen a flicker of red robes? Red. The colour of the Fire Nation? As far as she knew, no one from the Fire Nation could have penetrated the huge city. _But I did,_ she thought. _I guess there's always a chance._

Shaking her head, she went into the city. After asking a few people where the best inn in the lower city was, she headed off to the _Dark Cross_. She reached the tavern very soon, and pushed open the wooden doors with a black cross painted across them.

Inside was quite quiet. Katara glanced at the prices scrawled on a board and saw why. _Perfect,_ she thought.

Walking up to the barkeeper, she said, "Do you encompass any rooms I may rent for a month or so? The smallest one will do."

The balding man looked up. "Aye, miss. It's a tael of silver a month. You got 'nough?"

"Indeed I do."

"Then come on." He led her out of the main bar through a door, up a flight of stairs and turned right. At a maple door not comparable to the one she had had in the old ice fort, he stopped.

"Room fifteen at your service."

She nodded in thanks to him, dropped a silver ingot into his hands and entered. Shutting the door behind her, she sighed and leaned back.

The room was very unlike what her old home had been. A bed and a chest of drawers were all it provided, but Katara noticed it was very clean. _Worth my money, I suppose._

The rest of the week was spent in basically the same routine. She woke up each morning, went down to the bar for her breakfast, then went outdoors, offering her services. Another week passed, and another. Soon an entire month passed, and Katara gave Bao, the innkeeper, her second month's pay. The scholar and the barkeeper became quite good friends, and talked well into the night at least twice a week.

Then, a week after Katara paid for her room the second time, things started happening.

It was a stormy night, thunder boom and lightning flash. The torrential rain turned into a virtual hosepipe (A/N: Yes, I know, they don't have hosepipes…).

Katara sat at the bar table, laughing with Bao at a particular joke, when the door was kicked open with a bang.

All the customers, except Katara, fell silent and turned around to see the violent newcomers.

A young man with wearing a jacket with a drawn hood, like Katara, backed into the inn, dragging something heavy with him.

"Somebody – anybody – call – healer – quick."

He bent low to drag the body of a man in, his face hidden by shadows.

Bao nodded quickly to Katara and ran around the counter to assist the new arrivals, and several other barmaids and barmen did the same. They helped the man into one of the rooms, while the man who had dragged the injured man in sat at the bar and ordered a drink.

Moments later, Bao reappeared, hurrying towards Katara. He murmured something into her ear, while she murmured back. With a nod to the young man sitting two seats away from Katara, they disappeared into the room.

A minute afterwards, all the staff that had originally been caring for the injured man walked back into the tavern – except Katara.

The young man watched all this with interest, from under the hood. He waited until Bao got behind the table, and ordered a drink from him. When the cup of wine was set down before him, the young man asked, almost casually,

"Who was that?"

Bao looked down at his customer, brows furrowed.

"Who wuz who, mister?"

"That person you were whispering so conspiratorially to, of course." His voice was slightly raspy, and sounded as though he was hissing all the time.

"Oh, Shui? It's just a healer, noth – nothing special."

"_It_?"

"Well, nobody's yet seen under that hood, and Shui is a very strange person. Don't want no person budgin' in it's secrets."

"_Oh_." The comment would almost have sounded sarcastic, except there was nothing to be sarcastic about.

He jammed a hand into his pocket and revealed three gold ingots in his hand. Bao couldn't help staring at the immense amount of money the young man so casually fished from his pocket.

Revolving them in his hand casually, he rasped on, "It's obvious you're hiding something. Is it because I'm rich? Tell me, and this is yours."

"I – I – "

"Don't go all heroic on me. I know you've had trouble with money lately – I heard some interesting rumours on my way here. Why is that healer in the room alone with my man?" His voice was hard, and sounded like he was used to giving orders.

"Sir, I really don't under - "

"I really think you do." He fished out three more gold ingots from his pocket.

Bao had a real frown working on his face now. Finally, he gave in to the money.

He told the stranger about Shui, how it ('He,' said the stranger. 'Only a man could have the knowledge of a healer.') – how he had the name 'Witch Doctor' throughout some other areas within the Earth Kingdom, because of how he could immediately mend injuries and rapidly cure illnesses. How he told all his clients, lower- or middle-classed people, to keep his name a secret from the higher-classed people.

The stranger listened silently, although his very presence was intimidating. When Bao finished, he reached for the six gold ingots on the table, but the stranger quickly covered it with his hand.

Bao looked up, not believing this treachery, until – "Where are they now?"

Guiltily, Bao led the stranger to the door, then ran back to the eating-tables, wiping his sleeve over his eyes as he went.

The stranger pulled his hood down, but his face was still hidden in the shadows. With his right hand, he pushed open the door. It creaked slightly.

The healer had his back to him, and was bent over his man. He had a long braid running down his back, and his hood was off. The stranger's step into the room caused the healer to turn around to glance at the newcomer.

And in that time, the stranger felt like whatever force pulled time along slowed, and slowed, until they almost stopped. Both conscious humans widened their eyes.

For the two were not so strange to each other. The healer was clearly a waterbender – his eyes were as blue as both the sky and sea united together. The other problem was that the waterbender wasn't a he. It was a she. This she was unmistakable – she was the girl one of his subordinates had ambushed, and he had saved, five years ago.

Katara turned at first because she had been shocked that anybody would dare enter. Imagine how her shock grew when she saw the face of the stranger.

The stranger was the very boy she had never forgotten. The one with a huge flame scar upon his left eye.

The one from the Fire Nation.


	13. Familiarity

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Sorry for the late update. Something has happened to me. Something that appears only in most authors' worst nightmares.

I have lost all my files. Luckily, I copied them back from fanfiction. Thank the lord for fanfiction.

Anyway, what are Katara and the stranger going to do? Read and please - please review?

**Chapter 13: Familiarity**

The shock of their abrupt and unexpected meeting, if it hadn't been for the fact that both parties were silent, was like a huge cymbal crash in their ears that took its time to get to the brain.

Katara didn't know what to do. Should she run? Or stay, to finish up on her healing, as she always had done? Moreover, why was he, obviously a Fire Nation richling, maybe even nobility, here in the middle of Omashu, in the Earth Kingdom?

Her mind whirring in chaos, Katara didn't dare move. The boy (or man now, perhaps?) had just enough light to allow her to view his face. Slowly, ever so slowly, she turned away, going back to her work. Maybe, if she pretended that she had no idea who he was, she could sneak away that night.

The young man had _thought_ he saw recognition in the girl's eyes. Now, with her sudden change of a casual look, he wondered if he had gotten the wrong person. But that wasn't the problem at the moment. He needed more information to confirm his suspicions.

"Who're you?"

"I'm just an unassuming healer, my dear sir. I take it that you will be providing the charges of my service, for this man's injuries?"

"Yeah." Was it him, or did it sound like her teeth _hurt _uttering out all those 'well-educated' words? Was she really a scholar, or bluffing?

He decided to give it a go. "You really don't need to keep up that – academic disguise - around me, you know. It's not completely foolproof."

Physically, he saw her shoulders hunch. _Gotcha,_ he thought triumphantly.

"So. Are you – a bender, of any sorts?"

"You would have been able to sense me if I was, wouldn't you?" _Thank the gods I learnt how to conceal my power. Thank you, Adept Kestrel!_

"Yes, but there are rumours that a new ability to hide your power has been founded."

Katara was weary of the interrogation. Trying to rein in her nervousness and fear, she spoke. "Look, whoever you are, I don't really think this is the best time for you to interrogate me, alright? I've got a patient here that needs tending. If you're here other than to discuss the money, then get out."

The youngster smirked unpleasantly. "I knew you weren't the scholarly type."

_Gods almighty!_ she thought. _He makes me scared and angry at the same time!_

She ignored him, although her hands shook slightly as she bound her patient's slit middle with white bandages. She cleaned up, then turned around.

The richling had crept up behind her to watch over her shoulder, very quietly. She flinched slightly upon seeing him. All her friends had always found sneaking up behind her a very easy job to do. _I seem to be making a habit of that_, she thought, remembering her first encounter with Scarface.

"Since you seem so obviously rich, I'd like at least a tael or two of silver for my service."

"Blue eyes, seemingly calm temper, raven-black hair, positive attitude and dark skin. You look like a waterbender to me."

"If that list was a list of compliments, it didn't sound like it. And anyway - "

Scarface stepped forward menacingly. "Are you from the Water Tribes or not? Don't lie." Right after the last word, a fist-sized flame appeared in his left palm, and he drew it close to her face.

Katara shied from the flame. This close, it was _hot_. What should she tell him? Either way she was in danger.

A few moments passed. Scarface's brows drew together in frustrated impatience.

"Well? I'm waiting."

Suddenly, the door burst open and a cloaked man came into the room. He quickly blurted out, without looking, "Your Highness, the crew has spread out all over the village. We have hired carpenters to fix the - "

He was abruptly cut off by a large hand smothering his mouth and a cat-like hiss/inhalation made by the two conscious members of the room.

Katara drew breath in very rapidly. _Your Highness?_ She had known that he was a Fire Nation lord of some sort, but an actual heir to the throne in the same room she had been in? _Uh-oh._

"Grab her." The rasp echoed across the room.

The newcomer lunged at Katara, who sidestepped him and put her back to her unconscious patient. Keeping up her pretense of having no bending powers, she ignored the water pouch that banged against her side. She didn't have much strength left anyway, since she had finished healing the man.

Giving him no time to get up, she kicked at his stomach with her right leg, spun, and kicked again. There was a crack, and the man lay on the floor, pale-faced and holding one of his ribs. She was too busy being happy over her first defeat of an adversary in combat to notice until a flame came to life right next to her ear.

Her eyes widened and she froze. Fire wasn't a particular fear of hers, but it was still scary. The Prince stuffed a spare bandage into her mouth and twisted her arms behind her back. And yet she still couldn't move, for fear of being scorched to ashes.

Prince Scarface (that made a pretty good nickname, she thought) shoved her onto her front onto the floor, next to her defeated opponent. She heard a slight _thock_ sound and everything went black.

ooo

Katara opened her eyes to a dim light. Where was she?

Sitting up, she realized she had been lying on the wooden floor of an empty room. Well, almost empty. In the corner of the room, there was a small chamberpot. The room was lit by several candles dotted along the wall. The door that was probably the only entrance and exit fit into the wall very tightly, and had no handle on her side. She suspected it was bolted and locked on the other side. It was rectangular, and had a small, square hole that was just big enough to fit a fist into, for ventilation.

She moved her head a little, and winced. The back of her head _hurt_. Reaching her left hand to the back of her head, she founds that it was slightly wet. Looking at her fingers, she saw what looked like blood on her fingers. The pain was like something large inside her head was swelling, and wanted to push her skin and skull out.

Had she been knocked out? Again? _Me being found and knocked out by the same person _again. _Huh, history is repeating._

She couldn't move her head, or anywhere near it for the pain. Was there any water in the room she could use? Closing her eyes, she looked for moisture.

Nothing. The room, and anything within her range was barren dry. It seemed that her captor had taken no chances. Not _that my range is any good,_ she whined to herself. _Ten paces. Shifu said that she was sure my range was the smallest in the entirety of the society._

There was no food anywhere in the room either. Was she going to be left in her prison until all that was left were her bones, until those, too, rotted away?

She lay back down and slept, not wanting any more thoughts tormenting her mind, and to let her wound heal.


	14. A New Setting

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

School's started, and I'm really – busy. Hope this story won't be too long. Maybe I should delete a few of the earlier chapters? Tell me in your reviews, please. (Please review!)

**Chapter 14: A New Setting**

How much time had passed? She dreaded to think.

Her stomach had turned into a monster within her. Constant pain, a roaring ferocity, a gross, roiling organ.

She felt like tearing herself apart. She needed food. She needed _water_. She knew that there was no water beyond the four walls in which she was encased. For ten paces, there was no water.

She knew that more than a day had passed. She longed for something, anything, to happen. Come Death or Life, she'd take the deal.

Anything, _anything_, to free her from this hurt.

Were those – footsteps - outside?

She got up weakly and stumbled to the door just as it opened.

_Water_.

Quick as a flash, with energy born of a new hope, she grabbed the jug of water in her visitor's hand. Without pausing to think, she tipped her head back and gulped down the precious water.

It was cool and refreshing, if only for a little while. When she had drained the ceramic jug to the last drop, she half-fell, half-sat onto the floor. Putting the jug down, she looked at her visitor.

She winced. It was Prince Scarface, and he had that 'don't look at me' expression on his face.

"Did you," she paused, staring at the floor. Was that really her own voice? It was _terrible_. "Did you…bring…me here…to kill me?"

She slowly looked up at his face again. He was _smirking_. She tried to glare at him, but felt that it wasn't the effort. He was just a stinking Fire Nation prince, after all.

"You look terrible." He rasped.

"I know."

The Prince turned and signaled to two of the guards behind him. They entered and picked her up between them. Having not much strength, she knew resistance was futile. She was dumped into a much nicer room after another long walk.

It was much bigger as her former cellar, and much more nicely furnished. A bed, a very comfortable-looking chair and a nice rug were on the floor. Not surprisingly, the dominant colour of the room was red.

But what was she meant to be doing? Where were they taking her? Where _was_ she? A huge pot of questions settled into her mind.

With her dumped into the red bed, her captors turned around and walked away. Hearing the door shut, she lay down and turned away from the door, trying to get some sleep.

"I'm still here, you know."

She did _not_ expect the voice that sounded just behind her ear. Flinching, she turned around to find the Prince sitting on the edge of her new cell-bed. She tried to sit up, but Prince Scarface stopped her and told her gruffly that she needed rest.

"Since when does a captor care whether his captive gets rest or not?"

"What makes you think that I care about you, peasant?"

She opened her mouth, then finding she had no suitable retort, closed it. It was easier to ignore his type. He would go away, eventually. Turning her back on him again, she tried to sleep.

But she couldn't. The Prince's presence behind her, almost touching her back was…well, it was warm, for sure, as all humans were, and maybe a little calming, even…

But he didn't go away. She lay very, very, still, and slowed her breathing, as if she had already fallen asleep.

He didn't move. At all. She found it annoying, but it was also a bit of a relief to have human by her side after her – what seemed like – days of solitude.

_Relief?!_ She twitched a little. How on earth could she have possibly imagined his – the Prince of the Fire Nation's – presence to be a _relief_?

After a long, long, while, she felt his body moving. He was getting up. Slowly, he walked across the floor, his boots making a low thud, and opened the door.

"I want at least two guards standing here at a time, and tell the cooks that the captive is to allowed food, but any type of moisture will not be more than a teacup a day. We shall see if she would rather drink or use that little amount."

She had a very cautious and intelligent captor…escaping would be hard.

"You are not to permit anyone apart from General Iroh in here. They are not to be trusted. Am I understood?"

His voice was so harsh. It was so obvious that he had been giving orders all his life. She stopped thinking to listen to the guards' reply.

"Yes, Prince Zuko."

And the door slammed shut.

Sitting up, Katara gently spoke the name of the Prince: "Zuko."

----\--/----

Later during the day (or night), she heard somebody knock on her door. An old, masculine voice said, "May I come in?"

Katara was very surprised by this warm manner. _It had better not be a farce,_ she thought.

"I suppose. Who's to stop you?" she replied with the cold but polite voice she usually reserved for rivals.

She heard the sound of bolts being drawn back, chains removed until at last the doorknob turned and her visitor stepped in.

She had not expected the man to have such a kind expression on his face. He was short, had a considerably round girth, wore the armour of the Fire Nation, had a bald crown on the top of his head, wore his remaining hair in a ponytail which adjoined to his flowing beard. In fact, if it hadn't been for the strange expression on his face, he would have been quite formidable.

"Greetings, my young friend. I hope that Prince Zuko hasn't been treating you too roughly. My nephew has a very short and bad temper." He had a strange, indirect sort of accent. It was hard to place, but his tone of voice was very expressive. He sounded just the way he looked. Formidable and commanding when needed to, but mainly gentle.

"Your nephew?" She was curious. How was it that such rash and hot-headed boy had such a thoughtful uncle? Were they even related?

"Yes," he raised both eyebrows a Katara and chuckled. "Didn't see that coming, did you?"

Katara blushed slightly. "Well, yes, I didn't. You're both so different."

"May I sit?" he gestured at the plush red chair.

Katara nodded.

"Before I tell you about my nephew's past, I'd like to enquire as to what your name is."

"I'm Katara."

The old man smiled. "I'm Iroh."


	15. The Girl Will Be Good

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

To the people who've not watched ATLA, the Fire Lord – Zuko's father – banished Zuko when he interrupted an important general in a meeting. The result of it was Agni Kai, the 'fire duel' between firebenders. Zuko had expected to duel with the general in question, but it turned out he was dueling his father, the most powerful bender in the entire nation. His father set half his face on fire, which is why he has that horrendous scar.

**Chapter 15: The Girl Will Be Good**

"What?" Katara was staggered by what she had just heard. "Zuko was – banished – by his own _father_? And adding that serious injury to boot?" She was so astonished that she didn't even realize she'd called her captor by his first name.

Iroh nodded grimly. "I do wish that the family bonds within the Fire Nation were more like that of the Water Tribes'. Sadly, that's not happening. Now do you see what happened?"

Katara hesitated, then said, "Is he all touchy because of – of what happened?"

The old uncle nodded. "He has gone through much at a very young age. Also, his father and sister have made him believe that if he captures the Avatar or help us gain the advantage in the war he will regain his honour. I think that's a farce. Really, giving him such false hopes…and the war - "

At that moment, the door was flung open and fuming, fire-scarred face appeared. He looked around the room at the situation, Katara and Iroh facing each other and sitting on the floor, drinking tea and apparently, conversing. His eyebrows narrowed even more.

"Uncle," he grinded out, "The captive is not to be your new tea-mate. She may be the key to winning the war. Now come on out, it's time for my firebending practice."

Katara's face had been full of sympathy earlier, but now she was very disapproving. How on earth could the Prince, royalty he may be, order his senior around like a piece of seal dung? Let alone his _uncle_.

When Iroh had gotten the tea tray and carried it out, saying something about going down to the kitchens, he gently nudged his nephew into the room and closed the door behind them.

Behind it, he grinned widely. "That girl will be good for Zuko," he thought aloud.

On the other side of the room, Zuko was (once again) stuck in Katara's swirling eyes.

They both felt each other's gaze in each other's eyes, and their bodies fizzed with the electricity. Until now, they had both ignored each other's gaze, focusing on the floor, the hair, anything _except_ the eyes.

Katara blinked, and suddenly, the connection was gone. Zuko looked to the left, cleared his throat slightly, then said,

"You. Tell me your name."

"I'm – Hana." It was the first other name she'd been thinking of. Just as she said the word, she felt a stab of homesickness. She missed her teachers, and friends, and family…

"Well - Hana." Zuko frowned. Somehow the name didn't fit her. "I don't mean to be – disconcerting, but you do realize why you're here, don't you?"

"No." The word was dragged out long, as if the girl was unsure.

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "You don't? Well, I'll tell you. If you are part of the Water Tribes, you are bound to know where all your people's hideouts are. So far, we haven't been able to capture a single person who can't survive without food and drink for a day during this war. You are the first, and you'd better tell me – who are you?"

"Why did you starve me in the first place?"

Now both of the Prince's eyebrows went up. "How is it that I know more about yourself than you do?"

"You don't."

His mouth twitched slightly. "Normally, most of your people can't survive without water for more than a day. Waterbenders, however, can survive more than two, and the more powerful ones can survive for a week, I heard. Which means, of course, that you are a bender, although undoubtedly a weak one."

Katara bowed her head slightly. She was ashamed, very ashamed, of how even her counterpart could see that she was very weak.

The Prince held his head even higher. "Well, let's start off my information. Which tribe are you from?"

Katara kept her head down. She didn't know what to do. This Prince knew nothing of the Blayders. If she didn't answer, she would most certainly be tortured, and she _hated_ pain.

"I'm not from the north or south. I just grew up near an Earth Kingdom village with my family, teachers and friends. Now, I'm tired, and if you'll excuse me, I want to sleep." Secretly, she was panicking on the inside. She hoped her excuse would work.

Zuko rolled his eyes in a huge circle, then abruptly turned around to open the door.

It was locked. Confused, he raised his voice slightly, and ordered, "This is Prince Zuko. Open this door now, or I'll burn what little hair you have under your helmets!"

There was no answer. Putting his ear to the door, he listened hard. There was a faint sound outside, but it was further up, on the deck. _Curse it!_ He thought. _What's happening?_

Suddenly, Katara, who had been lying in the bed with the covers over her, sat up violently. She got up and charged for the door, but Zuko slid in between them.

"What's happening?"

"I-Idon't know! I just felt the aura of benders, and they're fighting!" She had unconsciously opened her skill of predicting movements, because of her earlier panic at Zuko's questioning.

_Fire-ball from the left sweeping kick from underneath flame uppercut at right side –_

The feeling was stronger. And stronger. Until –

"They're outside this door!"

Zuko growled, torn between trusting his captive or aiding his crew. The honour in him won, and he melted the lock of metal from his side. He hadn't done that to a door since the last raid on one of his summer houses.

When the lock was completely useless, Zuko was about to ram into the door when an elegant pair of arms grabbed his collar. His eyes widened with momentary shock at being restrained, then widened even more when he was let go of. He rammed into the door, which broke off its hinges and fell on one of his men.

_The water girl must have known,_ he thought, surprised at this new display of power. She wasn't as bad as he had thought. _But why,_ he pondered, _why didn't she notice me creeping up on her, twice?_

A grunt brought him back to his senses. The man he was on top of was the one of the soldiers. His opponent, a man in his prime, and Katara were back-to-back.

Zuko forgot all caution. He had to keep the water girl. Grabbing her while ducking under her and her partner's blow, he raced down the hall, dragging her, going anywhere to be rid of the fighting, he ran up a stairway, and pulled through a hole in the roof.

And realized his folly.

Later, he always thought back to the time, thinking why he had dragged the girl and not the other man, who was clearly a fighter.

Katara was, needless to say, astounded when the Prince grabbed her wrist in a vice and dragged her up through the roof, or so it seemed.

She had assumed that this place was a building or house of some sort, but she was wrong.

They had been on a ship all along, which had been anchored on a jetty of some sort. She hadn't been able to bend because she hadn't sensed or known there was water just out of her reach.

Now, on the deck of the ship, with water flowing not five metres below them, Katara smiled. She had the upper hand now. If only she had her Blaydes…

Zuko had just stood there when he remembered where they all where. He was feeling so strange that he didn't even notice his captive had escaped his grip.

However, when he heard the roar of the tides and felt a huge shadow falling over him, he _did_ notice.


	16. We Square

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Oh! I made this chapter a little longer. I might be permanently making it longer now. It's more fun reading them. Well then. Let's see how the fatigued Katara manages to get away then, and what's left of the Prince…

**Chapter 16: We Square**

Katara didn't really know what happened. She had just been standing there, her arm _finally_ out of her captor's grip, and was just thinking how to escape.

She knew she wasn't the brightest girl out of the lot. She also knew, however, that worse things would happen to her if she didn't get away quickly.

Around twenty to thirty men were battling against the crew, who were slightly smaller in numbers. The battle was at a standstill.

_Did these people come to rescue me? My friends?_ She peered closely at them. They were all definitely men, though.

A shout of 'That's him! The Prince! Get him now!' alerted her who the people were after.

Then, there was a huge roar and she saw all the benders gather in a formation. There raised their arms as one, lifting a colossal tide, the height of eleven men, and brought it down together. Did one of those faces actually look familiar? She had no time to think about it.

It was just by chance that Katara hadn't walked far enough from the Prince to avoid it. He caught the main force of it all, and was knocked into the sea, of course, but she was unfortunately caught at the edges of the wave.

Their screams weren't heard over the massive force, but just as they went overboard, the wave slowed. It didn't allow its prisoners to go any further either though. Katara saw the power streaming from the benders and into the wave.

_They're freezing it!_ The frost turned solid, and was rapidly reaching their way. She knew that as a firebender, the Prince would certainly try to melt the ice. But the frost was reaching even further behind them, so melting it made no use.

For the first time since her talk with Iroh, Katara thought of herself. What would she do if the men caught her? By the betrothal necklace on her neck, she couldn't possibly betray her friends and masters by telling them where she had learnt bending!

She slowly melted a space below the surface ice, and sank down, taking a deep breath before she submerged under the water.

Her vision was blurred under the water, but at least it didn't sting. That was one thing about her: no matter how dirty the water was, her eyes wouldn't sting when she was underneath the water.

She swam forward, but the current under the ice changed her direction slightly without her knowing it. Less than twenty seconds passed, and Katara surfaced slightly for air. She swam for a short while again, looking to her left, then whipping it to the right for the waterbenders. She wasn't sure she was really swimming away from the men…

_WHUMP!_

She crashed into a red-armoured bodice. No guesses to who it belonged to. Melting the surface behind the prince so she would be out of view of the men, she allowed her head to emerge.

The Prince was still fighting, but his face was pale, and if he wasn't so _cold_, he would be sweating. It was a very strange thought.

Katara considered freeing the Prince. She did like his uncle, after all. Maybe, just maybe, deep inside, Scarface was just as kind as his uncle.

And whatever happened, she could just leave him in the middle of the sea…(really?)

Zuko was slowly failing, and he knew it. For what had seemed like ages, he had fought to melt the ice. It didn't work. It did melt, but quickly refroze. He could feel the slight tug of the benders on his ship – they were gradually pulling him towards them.

He could only imagine the shame if his family found out that he had been captured. Not only an exile and weak, they would say, but also a burden. It would be just as well that he had been captured – it would take his weight off their hands.

Then, he felt the ice behind him shift slightly, and melt. Someone was there. He tried to move, and found it was slightly easier than before. The ice around him was melting, too. Was it a firebender? He had no way of knowing…

Then, two firm hands spun him around and he was face-to-face with his former prisoner. _How ironic!_ He thought. The water girl motioned silently for him to take a breath, and he did. He was at her mercy now, after all.

Hoping and hoping that she was saving him, and not turning him over to the men, he allowed himself to be dragged along under the ice, coming up at just about when he felt he needed a breath. The pattern went on and on – swim, swim, swim, take a breath, swim, swim, swim…

It seemed hours to the already fatigued Zuko, but in fact it was only half that. Soon, Zuko knew that the girl would tire, and where would they be then? Stranded, obviously.

In fact, just after he thought this thought, Katara stopped.

"This'll be far enough."

She treaded water silently, she held on tightly to Prince Scarface's forearm, because he would sink otherwise, with his heavy load of armour. How would they be able to get a rest?

Long moments passed. Zuko tried to make a fire to warm himself, but he could only produce a slither of smoke. He really was at the girl's mercy now. Feeling movement on his shoulder, he realized the girl had let go of him. Then, he felt a chill in the water.

Katara decided to make a mini-iceberg for them to rest on. It was no easy task, considering her lack of power and weariness. It took her several minutes to make one big enough for one of them, and even longer for it to lengthen and widen out so she had her little corner and the Prince had his.

That done, she sighed and sank slowly into the water, exhausted beyond belief. Eventually, she closed her eyes, but not before seeing something red climb onto the iceberg. _Oh well, what does it matter anyway, I'm just taking a rest…_

She felt like she was sinking. Was she? She no longer cared now. Everything was so comfortable.

Then, a hand appeared under the water and grabbed her upper arm. It hurt a little, but it didn't matter either. She felt very relaxed.

Then, another arm hooked under her knees and the hand originally on her arm was around her back. She was being lifted out of the water.

It felt so cold. She wasn't feeling comfortable anymore. Why had whoever was carrying her denied her that comfort? It had been so good, different from all the hardships she had faced.

Then, she heard a harsh voice, gasping, "What the hell did you think you were doing? You make an iceberg to rest on, and then you try to drown? At least make use of your own work of art, damn it!"

Katara opened her eyes. It was freezing, but she was aware of a warmth on her back and under the back of her knees. She looked into her rescuer's eyes for a moment, before suddenly coughing out a huge mouthful of water. Scarface had slammed his hand onto her back.

She coughed and hiccupped wildly. "What – happened?"

"You nearly drowned." Was the soft reply.

"Oh." It was strange, to think that her own element could kill her.

Zuko was having a battle within himself. He found that – he liked holding this peasant. It felt warmer than in the water. There was a fluid softness in him that felt so good when he was around the girl. What had been her name – Hana?

Of course, he had only saved her because she had saved his life. So they were square now.

Grunting, he edged out, "Hana?"

It took a second or two for the girl to suddenly whip her head around and stared at him.

"What is it, Your Highness?"

"I don't owe you anything, alright? You saved me from those friends of yours, and I just saved you. So we square."

The girl nodded. She opened her mouth, then closed it.

Zuko raised one eyebrow crookedly. "Tell me, whatever it is you want to tell me."

"Can you promise me one thing?"

"What is it?"

"Promise."

"Fine. I promise."

"That you'll set me free once we find civilization again."

He clenched his fists, honour fighting over being part of the family again. Honour won.

"Alright."

The girl smiled. It was an amazing sight, and he felt a strange sensation. Like his bones were going to melt into liquid silver.

They looked somewhere else, before the girl said, "Oh. And a few more things. Do you mind if we stay – um – close? Otherwise we're going to freeze."

Zuko nodded.

"One more thing. My name's not Hana. It's Katara."

Zuko looked at the girl – no, _Katara _– 's eyes and swore inwardly. They were both stuck in that electrical gaze again. Except this time, it felt more intense, and he was aware of her elegant arms curling behind his back, and her head timidly aligning itself to his chest.

"Katara. That's a nice name."


	17. Saved By Sokka

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I know it's tiresome, but protocol demands that we do this…

Sorry I haven't updated much, schoolwork is bothering me and all…This chapter should be quite reflective. I'm proud of the first few paragraphs, talking about their thoughts. Do enjoy!

**Chapter 17: Saved By Sokka**

They slept peacefully throughout the night, back to back. The ice kept melting, so Katara found herself waking up twice during the night. It was cold, and their clothes were soaking wet, but Zuko was very warm, due to his natural element.

It surprised Zuko that they were on first-name terms. He, the Prince of the Fire Nation, together with a peasant, the enemy of Fire? It was very unsettling, and yet, he found himself enjoying her company.

She wasn't dazzlingly beautiful, just plain. But her eyes were very different from any he'd ever seen before. He could never tell the emotions behind a person's eyes: to him, the 'expressions' in people's eyes mentioned in all the stories he'd heard or read were affected by the persons' facial expressions. Katara's eyes, however – they were pretty, he had to admit. Not physically, but there was something in it that he felt affected everyone. It wasn't an expression, either – you could see that trait in her body movements too.

He also knew that Katara was thinking about him before she fell asleep.

Katara didn't know what to think. Sure, the guy was cynical and all – so why had she saved him? She realized that she liked giving more than taking long ago, which was more than could be said about the Zuko. And his name seemed to be residing in her thoughts, as well as his face, and voice. _Maybe I ought to stop thinking one day,_ she thought.

In the morning, Zuko awoke first. Katara was still sleeping, her head lolling gently to one side and her hair across his face. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear, but before the chore was done, he pulled his hand back like it'd been bitten by a hog monkey. What the hell was he doing?

He sat up, cross-legged, and decided not to look at his neighbour, but out to sea for friendly ships. If he saw one, he planned to shoot fireballs just high enough for the ships to see.

A high-pitched grunt emitted from the girl as she stirred. He didn't look back; what did she expect?

Katara stretched and rubbed her half-closed eyes. "Morning, Gran-gran."

Zuko twitched slightly. She was probably still in a daze.

She yawned again. "Is it okay if we have seaweed bread today? I know Sokka loves seaweed cookies, but I'm sick of having it for another week."

Katara rubbed her eyes again, then seeing the red armour in front of her, she blushed heavily, and the night's adventures came back at her.

"Oh, sorry. I thought I was back home – and I was talking to my grandmother."

Zuko acknowledged her with a small 'hmm', but his face, hidden from her view, was grinning slightly. He'd never talked or heard anybody talk in such an undignified way, speaking about meals like that. Even with his uncle, whom he loved dearly, only talked about exquisite food. _And_ she hadn't been embarrassed enough not to apologise. Truly, this was wild specimen.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking out for friendly ships."

"Fire or Water?"

"What do you think?"

Silence resumed. _Gee, he's high and mighty today._

"Do you think it would be better if we moved along?"

"To where? Even deeper into the ocean? I think not. We're staying."

"Oh."

Zuko cast a glance back at her. Really, she was so talkative! He supposed it was good, but he'd bet a tael of gold that she wouldn't be talking to him if her friends were around.

He noticed that Katara was looking at him, and their gazes locked again. Why, he found it even likeable now! It was a very uncomfortable thought.

They spent an entire day on that little iceberg, watching, waiting. Zuko meditated, as part of his daily routine. Uncle Iroh had said that it would help with his anger management, but so far, it didn't seem to be working. However, it did ease his hunger and give himself food (A/N: Hah! The irony…) for thought.

Katara was bored. And hungry. Normally, she didn't eat much when there was plenty of food, but now that there was none? She felt like her stomach was contracting randomly. With nothing to do, she made the iceberg much thicker and larger than two people would have needed. She walked around the ice, then sat down, then walked around again. Occasionally she brought a handful of sea water to her mouth, but then finding it too salty for her consumption; let it drip down her fingers. Needless to say, the waterbender was feeling morose.

When nightfall came, Katara no longer had the energy to be brooding, moping or doing anything at all but sleep. That was why she never felt her companion stir, shoot signals into the air, or felt herself being picked up, and gently laid down on a nice, soft bed.

Morning came, and Katara turned over to hug her soft blanket. It wasn't until a few moments later that she realized she didn't know where she was. The room seemed decent enough; there was a proper bed, and table and stools, but was her door locked, and was she to be a prisoner again?

She sat on the edge of her bed, scared to know if Prince Zuko had kept his promise. Firebenders were known for their honour, after all. But his forefathers and other evil Fire Lords hardly had any honour, did they?

Slowly, she crept to the door and touched the doorknob. Taking in a deep breath, she slowly grasped the metal and turned – there was a _click _and the door swung slightly open easily.

_Yes! _She punched the air and her face broke into a smile.

As she looked at the face that had just been about to open her door, her eyes became huge and she threw herself at none other than –

"Sokka! What on earth are you doing here? Oh, gee, I've got so much to tell you! Seeing you is great! How come I'm on your ship? How's Gran-gran? Did you know I was here? What happened? Why are you here? Oh, wait, I already asked that – do you have any food?"

Katara's brother pulled away from his sister's embrace and said, "Woah there! I can imagine your excitement at seeing marvelous me, but let's talk about it inside."

Unknown to the siblings, a certain Scarface was watching silently from the shadows. His face was confused with himself, for he could not organize his feelings into any section. He was a schedule-type man, and like to be able to classify things. But what do you call it when whenever you look at your enemy, your bones become tightly-strung strings, suddenly pulled taut, suddenly slack? What do you call it when, at every touch, the core of every part of his body seem to morph into a jelly-like substance, and you can't help but let that feeling rush to your head?

Zuko seriously needed to breathe, and maybe he'd find some time later to organize his feelings. For now, he couldn't help feeling jealous at the emotion that had lit up Katara's face when she'd seen her brother.

/--\

It turned out that Sokka and his tiny merchant ship was actually a small undercover anti-Fire ship. He and a four other friends managed to crew the tiny ship alone, and pretended to be poor tradesmen when the occasional Fire Nation ships inspected them. They had passed by Katara's iceberg, and if Zuko had not decided to keep watch every now and then in his sleep, the ship would've simply passed them by. Halfway through their little catch-up, somebody knocked on their door with lunch. The Prince came in, his hair shorter and no longer in a ponytail, and clothed in green garments. Sokka greeted him heartily.

"Gee, thanks, Lee. I'm glad you like helping around. I think Katara here is so hungry she could eat a bison!"

Katara threw a confused glance at the boys, which Sokka caught. "What's wrong, Katara?"

It seemed that Zuko knew that Katara had a possibility of betraying his, which was why he cast a meaningful glare at her.

Slightly intimidated but accepting the message, Katara said, "Oh, oh, it's just that – I – uh – never knew his name…?"

"Well then, I'll let you eat your lunch with him then, seeing as you should be grateful to your rescuer, Katara. I'll go and send Lee's lunch down here. Enjoy yourselves!"

As the door closed, Zuko thought, _Damn. Alone with her_ again.


	18. Blayde Reunion

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Thanks everyone for reading! I'm even getting a lot more story alert subscriptions! The characters are getting kinda OOC tho.

Season three is out!! (does-a-dance-jig)

**Chapter 18: Blayde Reunion**

There was an awkward silence.

"So – " they both turned to face each other and said the word together. Embarrassed, they faltered, and after a moment, Katara continued.

"Why did you change your name?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow at her and sighed. "Honestly, is your skull hollow?"

Katara frowned. "Hey, I know I'm not the smartest out of the bunch -"

"I'm glad you know that."

"I just…_asked_…"

"Well, don't you think that the first thing your brother would do to me if he found out I was Fire Nation 'ass' would be lock me up? Maybe even kill me?"

"Oh." Katara sat back down, feeling slightly intimidated.

Zuko cast a short sidelong glance at her. Even though she didn't have much foresight, (at least, not as much as he did) she was a very kind person. It was the sort of thing people couldn't hide. She did save his life, after all.

He'd never known much kindness, or gentleness, except from his mother and uncle.

For the next few weeks, Katara and Lee met the other members of the ship, and also helped it function. There were three other inhabitants of the ship besides Sokka: Toph, Appa and Aang.

"You're the Avatar?" was Zuko's – no, Lee's – first sentence at Aang.

The goofy Airbender nodded. Katara, who stood next to the Avatar, saw something strange in Zuko's expression, though she couldn't put her finger on it.

The Avatar was a hundred and twelve years old – his growth in the last centruy being stopped from the huge iceberg he froze himself in when Sokka found him. He was pretty goofy, but he had a much more serious side that everyone knew to respect.

Then, Aang introduced them to Appa, who had been busy chewing at some sort of seaweed at the back of a ship in a shed. He was a massive flying bison, the last of his kind.

Then, they met the formidable Toph. She was a blind earthbender, but was probably one of the best in the world, even at her age of twelve. Independent, sarcastic, brutal yet honest, she was very much Earth. She and Zuko definitely did not get along, with both of them as rough as the other.

Actually, 'did not get along' was undeniably an understatement. As he escorted Katara back to her room at evening that day, he closed Katara's door after him. Katara sat on the bed, watching him with puzzlement.

As he found himself letting his anger blow free with numerous curses at Toph, Katara watched the candles that lit her room with alarm. The minimal flame that had been flickering in the wick a few moments ago had turned into a straight line of fire, reaching just below the ceiling of the boat, in case anyone above them felt the metal heat up. It grew exceedingly warm inside, so Katara decided that the flames had to be stopped somehow.

Just as she stood up, the candles, now halfway melted already, stopped shrinking immediately. The fire had gone back down to normal. Katara looked up as Zuko let out a huge gush of steam from his nostrils, then bent to prop his hands on his knees, as if he had spent a lot of energy.

Tentatively, she crept over to the Prince, a small cup in her left hand as she beckoned a line of warm water to fill the cup. She filled it in front of him when he noticed, puzzled, then offered it to him. Suddenly, she pulled it back slightly and picked up a thread of water, as it was too full and was about to spill. She offered it again.

Zuko felt strange. What was she doing? Offering him water? Now, why would she do that – because there was poison in it? Beca –

He shook his head to clear the thoughts. The girl was little too simple minded to know about plots, much less plot against him.

He felt so warm, being offered a cup of water. Truth to tell, it was really the first time he'd been given a gesture of comfort from anyone apart from his uncle and mother.

Reaching out, he took it into his hands gently. Almost immediately after the first sip, he felt his inner fire being comforted by the lukewarm water, and it calmed him down.

Katara felt a little miffed at his lack of manners. No 'thank you' or any gesture of gratitude. But then again, was she doing it just to get the praise?

"I guess I should be going…" Zuko stood up and put the cup on the small table in the center of the room.

He opened the door and walked out, Katara closing the door behind him. Leaning back against it, she sighed.

Was it her imagination, or did the room seem a little darker?

-- 

At dinner, Sokka gave Katara a big surprise.

They had just finished dessert, and everyone was chatting and gossiping. Well, except for Lee. He was quite unsocial.

"Katara, did you lose everything when those firebenders captured you?" Sokka asked.

She nodded.

"Well, remember last time you visited me, you gave me a bag of your weapon-thingies?"

Katara's head snapped round to face her brother. "You brought them?"

Sokka scratched his head in a slightly embarrassed way and handed her a sack. "Well…yeah. Here. Oof!"

Katara had knocked her brother over in a huge hug. "Thank you so much!"

Withdrawing from the affectionate lunge, she slowly picked up the bag, got up, and headed towards her room.

"Well, good night to you too." Toph called.

"Good night, Katara!" Aang repeated.

When she was out of earshot, Toph said in a whisper loud enough for everyone to hear, "You like her, don't you?"

Aang blushed, and bid everyone a good night.

When the moon came out, a slender figure peeked at the deck from below. There was no one about, so the figure pulled herself up. When she was on the deck, she reached out back behind her and pulled out a sack that made soft clinking sounds.

Slowly, Katara stood up and put the sack in the middle of the floor. Taking three steps back, she raised her arms, and three objects floated out soundlessly. They came and hovered about her right palm, her left hand controlling their movements.

They were Blaydes that she had thankfully entrusted to Sokka. It had been so long since she had had anything to remind herself of her friends and teachers, the sight of a familiar weapon was like a long-lost friend.

Slowly, she bent one of the Blaydes out of her right hand and made it stay above the deck in front of her. With one swift movement, she relinquished her hold on it, allowing it to fall to the deck quickly, while aiming the other two Blaydes swiftly under it, the two carrying the first Blayde.

The movement was so swift that the only visibility of the whole action was a flash of the reflections of ice.

She practiced her skills with the Blayde for the rest of the night.

Unknown to her, Zuko watched from the shadows.


	19. The Northern Water Tribe

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Holy. Cow. I can't believe they put Mai with Zuko. And how Aang is…still getting his chances with Katara, when he's supposed to have **let go of all attachment**.

On the other hand, I'm convincing myself that Zuko and Mai will have a huge argument, break up, with the sparky-sparky-boom-man (or whatever) killing Mai, and then Zuko finds eternal comfort in Katara, and all Zutarians go, 'Aaaww.'.

Yeah, whatever, MM, just shut up and get on with the story. I know, I know. So here we go:

**Chapter 19: The Northern Water Tribe**

Their aim was to get Aang to the Northern Water Bending Tribe, for his waterbending training. Now that Katara was here, he wanted her to teach him how, but Sokka intervened.

"Why?" moaned Aang.

"Because we can't risk anyone knowing about Katara's Masters."

"Oh. Why would that be bad? They can boast themselves to be the Master of the Master of the Avatar."

"Because my Masters don't wish to be known." Katara spoke up. Everybody looked at her, and Toph raised the question on everyone's minds.

"Who are they?"

Katara opened her mouth to speak, when Zuko interrupted. "Didn't she just say they don't want to be known?"

Toph frowned, then gave a little smirk. _Uh oh. Toph-Zuko fight coming up._

"And I suppose Zuzu doesn't know either?"

"Don't call me that." He inwardly flinched. It was what his monster of a sister called him.

"What? _Zuzu_? Oh, come on. It's not that bad a baby's nickname. What? Doesn't your girlfriend call you that?"

"I don't have a girlfriend. I don't need one."

"Oh, so you're saying that you're too good for a girl now, huh??"

"So what if I am?!"

They were both fuming by now, when suddenly Katara stepped in between them.

"Why don't we get back to the subject, guys?"

Then her hands were on their arms and she turned them to face Aang.

"So, Aang. I'm really sorry, but if people happen to ask you who your Master is, and if they trace me back to my Masters, a lot of people are going to get into trouble. I'm not going to do any bending when I get into the Village anyway."

And that was it.

Over the next few weeks, life was strange. Toph and Zuko ignored each other, while Sokka, Katara and Aang felt at ease in each other's company.

Aang was obviously infatuated with Katara, although for some strange reason, Katara didn't notice it. Toph and Katara become firm friends, although arguments did break out as was Toph's nature.

They finally came in sight of the Northern Water Tribe's home. They had pulled the Fire Nation flag that they had used on the trip down, in case there were any unexpected attacks.

After Sokka explained that they were friendly and that the Avatar was with them, the guards allowed them to enter. Katara had grown noticeably agitated during this time, for an unknown reason.

Arnook, the chief of the Northern Water Tribe, arranged for Aang's lessons to begin immediately the next day, with a man named Pakku. Throwing a huge feast that night, he did his guests well.

"Tonight," he announced, "We welcome our brother and sister from the Southern Water Tribe. And," he paused slowly, so that the confirmation of the big news would descend like snow upon his men and women, "they have brought with them the Avatar."

Roaring cheers echoed the skies that night, as there was singing, dancing, feasting, laughing and all manner of entertainment that night.

Katara had been asked for dance after dance by dozens of young men, while complying and acting out her part as a non-waterbender. It was hard to hide her own powers amongst friends, but she had sworn never to betray the Blayders to the outside world without their consent, keeping the truths as legends, and the legends as stories.

Halfway through the night, Katara walked away from the partying ground to walk along the nearby battlements, enjoying the feel of her element all around her. She was dressed in her usual skintight suit underneath, although on top she had donned suitable partying clothes for the occasion.

_Too bad I can't keep any Blaydes on me, what with all the Masters around._ She liked the sense of security the familiar weapon gave her.

She leaned on the ice wall that came up to her ribs, and stared out at the vast ocean outside. It reminded her of her friends, and teachers. _At least Sokka's here now,_ she thought.

"Katara?" A familiar voice whispered. It always, somehow, electrified her to hear that voice call her name. The huskiness and quietness of it made her spine almost shiver.

Zuko saw her stiffen. _Here we go again,_ he mentally groaned. For the last few days, she had become somewhat cold to him. He thought he knew why, and he was here to reassure her.

Huh? Reassure? The old Zuko in him would have laughed, the angry, snide and arrogant Prince. But because of the journey he'd made, he sensed he'd grown…more positive. He felt enlightened, not to have to deal with the politics of posh Fire Navy officers looking down on him.

But now, he was just fed up with the uncomfortable behaviour she was shoving on him. His anger raised a few notches, and his voice was filled with the usual passion once more.

"Do you have problem with me?"

Blunt and arrogant yet passionate and honourable. Did those words fit him as perfectly as she thought?

"I don't know."

"What do you mean? Either you do or you don't, and I want an answer! These last few days, you – you – you were so damn cold."

"Water and ice is naturally cold."

"Not when it's been boiled, it's not!"

"That would need fire. Heat."

"If you need it, I'll bloody give it then! Just – you're scared I'll betray you all, aren't you?"

_How do you know?_

"Intuition."

With a start, Katara realized she must have thought out loud. She turned to admit herself.

"Well. Yeah. I'm scared, alright."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"Guard you day and night, making sure you don't communicate with your _family_."

"My sister and father hardly count as family."

"Your Uncle Iroh, then."

"He wouldn't approve of me sending messages behind your back. He liked you very much, you know."

Now _those _words made her want him to see her point. She literally confronted him. "_Approving_ doesn't mean anything in war, Prince! Whether he liked me or not, I was just a prisoner of war."

"If I swear I won't betray you all then?"

His sudden tender change in tone startled her, and she realized he was less than a metre away from him.

"Swear it. I'll still guard you."

Even with that obvious mark of dissuading mistrust, he could hear the slight change in tone, of relief, in her voice.

"I swear that I will not betray the Water Tribes for as long as I am in their hospitality, and they treat me as an equal."

_I swear that I will never betray you._


	20. Fear y News

Oh wow oh wow oh wow oh wow! I'm getting so many readers! YES!

As you can see, I am very happy. So, to let me know that I'm not losing all of you, just review the chapters, at least once in a while. Please?

Btw. What did you all think of episode 10 season 3? Well, I for one am in utter despair. Nick is ruining every single Zutarian life!!!

Sorry for the late update.

**Chapter 20: Fear-y News**

In the next week, Zuko found himself befriending Katara and Aang. At night, he would think over the day's events, and for the first time other than when with his uncle, Zuko smiled.

Aang was a goofy kid, but he was also really nice. He seemed to adapt to everyone who didn't have truly ill intentions. Zuko didn't know himself anymore whether he was friends with the Avatar now to gather intelligence, or just for the joy of it.

As for Katara, he found a happy side in her he'd not seen much of. She seemed to give off infectious waves of joy when she smiled. He found her not quite as stupid and timid as he'd assumed, just not overwhelmingly clever. She was a very good mother, caring for those of her own age and below. He sensed that she'd had to take care of people all her life.

He hoped that he didn't need to be taken care of. He knew now that he wanted to be a special friend to Katara, not just one of her children.

The week passed by with all of them learning new things about each other. Then, one weekend, things began to change.

It was early morning, and Zuko felt like a morning walk along the ice battlements. When he got to the closest watchpost, he found, to his ultimate surprise, Katara there. She was grabbing some breakfast from the store cupboard there, and when she saw him, she silently grabbed another bun for him.

Together, they walked slowly along the wall, biting into the buns while talking quietly. It always took Zuko some time to open himself up, but by the time he'd finished his breakfast, he found himself conversing with Katara freely. That was another thing about her. She was very sincere and genuine, it was against instinct not to talk to her.

"Aang really deserves to be the Avatar." Zuko accidentally blurted out.

She gave him a grin, and replied, "Definitely. He's just a kid though. I'm a bit worried, sometimes, how he's gonna have a hard time growing up with so much bending to master in such a short time."

Zuko stopped in mid-step and asked, "You don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"About…you know…how Aang feels about you."

"Him? Hey, he's just a little brother. Nothing more."

"Oh really…" he couldn't resist taunting.

"Yes, re-" she stopped in mid-sentence and walked over to the side of the battlements, peering over the side. "What's that?"

A bloody and limping man in Water Tribe clothing was making his painstakingly slow way over to the gate. Katara's face creased with shock and sympathy as she ran down to the bottom of the wall, threw open the doors and sprinted towards the man. Zuko followed her down, then shouted to her, "I'll go get help!" and turned away.

His arm was caught by her firm hand. "No. Come with me."

"You're going to heal him?"

"Yes. And you're going to make sure nobody sees. Be the lookout."

He nodded, and put on an extra burst of speed towards the man.

"You okay?" he panted, placing his shoulders under the man's left arm and supporting his aleft.

"Have – urgent – message – Arnook – urgent!" The man laboured.

"Okay, I got it. Tell me, and I'll pass it on to him – after we've healed you. Now, you just lie down here. We've got someone coming."

He looked up to see that Katara had just arrived, her arms carrying a sack of sorts. Dumping it on the ground, she kneeled beside the gasping man, and summoned a stream of water.

Zuko stayed and carefully kept an eye on the battlements, but luckily nobody came so early in the morning.

As Katara finished with the major wounds, they made the man swear that he wouldn't tell anyone about her bending, and helped him in. Arnook was in his bedchambers still, so they had to call him and Aang out of their rooms.

The man then recounted his tidings. "Sirs and lady, I'm from the lookout point a day's journey south from here. There's been a bloomin' attack on us. Looks like a fleet of the Fire Navy is out to finish the Tribe off! They attacked us last evening, and I'm the only one who survived. When I was running, they stopped to provision for a while, which is why they haven't come upon us yet. They called a guy 'Zhao' or something their commander."

The room was silent with shock. Katara desperately, for his sake, tried not to look at Zuko, but she finally let one fleeting glance escape.

What she saw was expected. He was clutching his knees so hard Katara was scared his kneecaps would break. And his face – all the colour had been drained out.

_I've got to trust him,_ Katara thought. She couldn't help letting doubt seeping into her thoughts though.

The Chief quickly discussed battle plans with the Avatar and his advisors, with Katara remaining silent in her seat. She only heard snippets of their conversation.

"– On the south frontier -"

"No, that's not right, it's -"

"So little? And the provisions? How long-"

It was only until Arnook spoke his dismissal for lunch did Katara look up and listen.

"Gentlemen," with a quick apologetic look at Katara and Toph, " and ladies, I'm afraid we'll have take a short break. As for now, we have a plan, but still, the Fire Nation far outnumbers us. Of course, we have the Avatar with us, so that gives us as much reason to hope, doesn't it?"

As Sokka, Zuko, Katara, Toph and Aang left the room, Sokka bubbled over with the technical war-talk with Toph and Aang, while Katara and Zuko were absorbed in their thoughts.

_I wonder…if the Fire Nation really outnumbers us, how are we to fight back? If we only had enough waterbenders, and I had enough Blaydes…_

Her thoughts drifted to the Blayders, her friends and teachers. _If only they would be willing to help, that would be great._

Now, there was an idea. If only she could somehow persuade the ones who were willing to go to go, then they could win. How many did they say that they needed? She would ask later.

In her room later that night, Katara found herself packing her necessities and rations into her trusty sack. She grinned at old memories. Just five and a half years ago, her sack had not been so trusty.

She'd only be gone for a little while, just to find the Blayders and get help. It would take no more than a week on her mount. She hoped that the men could hold out until then.

Placing her letter on her bed for the others to find the next morning, she stashed her remaining supply of Blaydes in the concealed pouches and Blayde-scabbards around her body.

Blowing on a small bison whistle Aang had randomly purchased on one of their dockings, Katara opened her small ice window so that she could just fit through it.

"Katara? Katara?" A knock sounded the frame of her ice door. It was Zuko.

Her mount, invisible in the clouded moon, waited for her outside her window. Katara hesitated, knowing that she would miss Zuko. It suddenly struck her that…maybe, just maybe she had feelings for him. Dismissing the thoughts for a later time, she jumped onto her mount just as the frame of her door started glowing with heat and the moon shook off its cloudy cloak.

"Katara?" whispered Zuko, but his call fell on an empty room.

He looked at the stream of moonlight, and saw that the ice window was open.


	21. The Defintion Of Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Sorry for the long wait. I was going to write a oneshot for Xmas, but then I had to go on holiday. This is going to be Taang, people, so I'm sorry if you don't like it, but I hope you'll change your mind when you finish reading this.

So, wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

**Chapter 21: The Definiton of Friend**

Aang was swinging his legs over the edge of his bed absent-mindedly as he gave wistful sigh. A day had passed since Zuko had discovered Katara's disappearance, and he missed her already. On their journey here, he'd felt a growing attraction to Katara, and he knew it had to be _true love_.

Well, maybe not that classified, but it was his first crush. He sighed again.

"So what's up, twinkle toes?"

He looked at the door to find Sokka and Toph standing in his doorway. Toph, who could only navigate her way on solid earth, was having a hard time in the ice palace, which was why somebody had to accompany her everywhere.

He hastily pasted a fake smile onto his face. "Me? Oh, well, I'm just not too sure about Ka-coming here. You know, with the Fire Navy and all." He'd nearly slipped out the fact that he was concerned about Katara in front of Sokka! Of all people, he'd want Sokka to know about his crush the least.

"Oh. Well, anyway, it's time for another meeting. We were just coming to pick you up." Sokka told Aang.

The quick meeting ended in less than an hour, after which Aang was busily occupied with the hasty evacuation of the children and those who couldn't fight, supply receiving and arranging, and all manner of battle preparations.

Which is no surprise why, at the end of the day, Aang skipped dinner. He knew he missed Katara, and with most of his patience worn out, he was tired and easily angered. He felt like he'd been walking over too many soft clouds this time.

There was a knock from the outside. Aang sat up, realising he'd fallen asleep. He went to the doorway sleepily, to find Toph, breathing harder than usual and hanging onto his doorway for life.

"Toph! What are you doing here? What if you trip, or fall, then none of us could've helped you 'till morning! And - "

"Shut up."

He obliged, although he was still puzzling over why she had come to his room in the middle of the night. He gently but firmly helped her to a seat on his bed and arranged his blanket around her.

"So." He wanted an explanation.

"Well, I don't think anyone else has noticed, but you were really down today, weren't you?"

Aang gave a moments' thought to the matter and decided he didn't want anyone knowing about his crush just yet. "Me? Naw, I'm just tired, you know, with the Avatar thing and all. By the way - "

"Missing Katara much?"

Her blunt, deep voice cut through his speech so easily. And on so many matters, she just read his mind.

"I – yeah, of course, I mean, she's our friend, right?"

There was a pause, then Toph asked, "You like her a lot, don't you? As a woman."

How the hell did she know?

"For a girl born with incapabilities, you're way more capable and observant than the rest of us."

"That doesn't answer my question. But there's no need. Don't worry; I don't think anyone else knows besides me. About your – crush – , that is."

She said the word 'crush' mildly with the tone one used to describe a bug bite, like it itched. _Now, why would she do that? I can't really see her face, so I guess I won't know._

Was he blushing? "Uh – what am I supposed to say to that? Ooh, actually could ya give me some advice?"

There was a pause. "Don't say anything then." He'd expected something just as blunt as that from her.

"Well, I usually like talking more than not talking. So. Is there anything going on between you…and Sokka?"

Toph turned her head around to face Aang, the left side of her face revealed in the moonlight. It was a little too late as Aang realised he'd hurt Toph's feelings…somehow.

"So you think that the relationship between a blind weakling and a simple friend has anything to do with **attraction**??"

"Ok, whoa, hold on, I'm sorry. It was just a little assumption that everyone's been making. I mean, he's always the one helping you get stuff done nowadays."

"That's _only_ because he's got nothing else to _do_! I – I -"

He heard the seriously hurt tone in her voice, which he always seemed to be the only one able to tell apart from the hurt tone. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him gently.

How come he'd never noticed how warm and soft Toph's body seemed to be against his own? He felt a very new sensation, and he'd no idea what it was. But it made him – very strangely – happy. He was so glad to have her for a friend.

_Friend. A friend, eh? Maybe I'd like her to be a little more…_

WHOA. Where had that come from? Toph was just his earthbending teacher and a faithful – fellow - that was all.

He could feel Toph regain her composure, and breathed an inward sigh of relief. Having Toph angry at him didn't do at all, he decided.

"Aang…"

"Yeah?"

"…What do you think of me?"

Was she blushing? No, he was imagining things. "You're my earthbending teacher, and a great friend. Some people might think you're weak because of your lack of sight, but I think I know better. You've got a sight clearer than any of us, not just physically, but mentally too. Of, course, that doesn't mean you're invincible, 'cause like at times like these, you need your friends, like any normal human being."

"So…you don't think badly of me in any way?"

"Well, maybe when you're really stubborn, but that's all."

"Oh. That's good. I guess…I'm just scared of people treating me in a really weird way, I guess. You're a great – friend – Aang."

Mockingly, Aang let go of Toph and knelt in front of her. In a voice he presumed was manly, he said, "It is an honour for Toudai(Disciple) Aang to receive a compliment from the honourable Sifu Toph."

He could hear Toph grin. "Well now, my dear disciple. Come forth, and I have a thing of honour to bestow upon you."

A gift? Aang was surprised. He readily leaned forward, and waited.

His gift was the contact of Toph's soft, warm lips upon his own.


	22. The Battle Begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Sorry for the _way_ long delay, I've been on holiday…and well, work to catch up on and everything.

And remember; try to review now and then, so I know that I've still got readers! Thanks so much, everybody!

**Chapter 22: The Battle Begins**

At the moment, Zuko could barely confine his inner turmoil.

The morning dawned on a Fire Nation fleet spread in a circle all around the Northern Water Tribe. Luckily, those who couldn't fight or were of not much use in the battle had all been evacuated safely, but that just lowered their numbers even more. By an approximate count, more than 1000 fighters manned the Fire fleet, whereas the Water Tribe had no more than 400 men and less than 100 benders.

Without Katara around, Zuko had witnessed a wistful pang in his heart that he knew he'd always tried to shove to the very back of his heart. He'd also realised…

That he'd learned to love her.

The first time he completely realised that was when he'd found her room empty. He'd tried to imagine who knows how long without her, and found nothing.

It felt so wrong to be abandoning his nation to fight against it, but he knew his conscience knew that the Fire Nation was wrong and had turned quite unhonourable since Sozin's rise to the throne.

For the umpteenth time in the past few days, Zuko opened up Katara's letter and read it:

_To Sokka, Toph, Aang and Zuko._

_I know it's not very nice of me to just go in the middle of the night like I'm escaping, but I know that Sokka would never let me go where I'm going. Where exactly am I going, eh? To get help from some people I know. I can't tell you where, or who, but just trust me on this, ok?_

_I know that, Sokka's probably about to blow up right now, Aang has bulging eyes and getting a mite teary, Toph is frowning and Zuko…Zuko's probably sitting there with his usual look, pretending not to care. [These predictions had been true. Each member of the gang had been doing exactly what she had said they would be_

_I should be back within a week if the trip goes okay. Seriously, guys, don't worry about me. Worry about the Fire Navy at your doorstep. Sokka – don't get mad at everyone for every single thing. Aang – have faith. You're the_ Avatar_! Toph – you've got to co-operate with everyone, even Lee. And Lee – if your conscience is battling against you, then just remember your friends. I know that this is probably the hardest on you. Even though Sokka and Toph don't like to admit it, I think we all like you. Remember that, and you can stay strong._

She'd always saved him for the last. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, he didn't know, but she also understood him the best, because she was the person who had the least in common with him. _We're opposites_, he realised.

He prepared to collect his armour, first going to the guards' stores, where he was given permission to take anything he liked. _Being with the Avatar sure gives me some cool grants_, he thought as he collected all he needed.

Then, without further ado, he fell asleep on his bed.

A loud knocking woke him from his dreamless sleep. "Mr. Lee? Mr. Lee? Wake up, Mr. – "

"I know, I know it already!" He threw at the person knocking on his door. Quickly smoothing his hair out a little bit, he opened the door.

It revealed an errand-boy. "Sir, the generals have given the signal for the fighting to begin. You're to dress, then meet the Avatar in the Council Hall. Sir."

"Okay! I get it. Now scat."

The terrified boy ran out of the hallway as fast as his lanky legs would allow him to.

Quickly Zuko donned his armour, grabbed his hand-picked duel swords and walked to the Council Hall.

"Lee! You're late. Everyone else went ahead, but just so you know, I'm leading a unit of 50 men, and you're with me." Aang was nervous, he kept fiddling with stray bits of air and water, bending indistinct shapes out of them.

Momo jumped onto Zuko's shoulder out of nowhere, which made Zuko jump. Aang jumped too, and shrieked.

"What's happening? Have they attacked already? I'm not ready yet! I-I needa pee! Ohmigod! I don't even know where my men are – "

"Calm down!" Zuko slapped Aang's back.

"Oof! What was that for?"

"To calm you down! You'll never be able to lead like this! I know why you're so worried! It's Katara, isn't it? The Avatar is supposed to be someone who will put his people in front of his own worries! Now you've gotten me pissed off!"

There was a silence after that for a while as Zuko and Aang kept walking, and then:

"You're right, Zu – "

"I'm sorry for shouti – "

They stopped halfway through their sentences. Then, Zuko smiled his first smile he'd smiled in front of Aang and said,

"Come on, let's get outta here."

From the moment the horns were sounded, Toph knew it would be hopeless. She'd had little inklings of the feeling, that there was little faith. Katara was gone, and she'd never get to where they were in time to save the lives of the pitiful defenders. For the umpteenth time, the Fire Nation would triumph unrightfully.

An immense feeling of self-pity wafted over Toph, and she couldn't help it. She was the only earthbender present, and with the water and ice surrounding them, her life was extremely vulnerable.

Aang had not permitted her to fight, and ordered her to stay in an ice room. Toph felt so humiliated now, but she knew that she would only be a burden to her friends if she had been allowed to fight.

She drew the blanket that she'd been given higher up, so only her face was visible. Still, it was at these times that she hated her blindness. It made her weak – and what if her friends had lost this battle because Toph hadn't been there? Just one person made a big difference sometimes.

Chilled, slightly puckish and feeling gloomy, Toph was not in the best of her spirits.

:-[

Aang was very grateful that Lee was with him. Apparently, the boy had done a lot of battling before, and knew how to handle boisterous subordinates that were older than they were.

"I know that I'm younger than you all – a hundred of my years has consisted of being curled up, hibernating in one of your huge icebergs (here he looked at the ice that surrounded them all). But I think that today…"

He'd had to make a motivating speech, just before the men had been sent out to get ready for their deaths. He was unbelievably nervous, but when he saw Zuko and Sokka and Momo looking at him, he felt a little bit better. His friends were listening to him. There was Toph in her room, which wasn't too far away, so she could probably see him right now.

And who knew? Maybe, wherever she was, Katara could hear him too.


	23. Fight Between Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Whoo! Happy easter! I'm listening to Disney's new album, "Greatest Love Songs". It might not suit most of your tastes, but I love it.

And it gets me goin', ya know?

**Chapter 23: Fight Between Friends**

Katara sat in Appa's saddle. The great thing about her furry friend was that he answered to Aang's bison whistle everytime. The whistle and Aang himself were the two ultimate powers over him.

Unlike Aang, Katara was much too scared to sit on Appa's neck. She would rather not risk the chance of slipping off, even if Appa could (Aang claimed) catch her.

Flying to the Blayders' hideout was much faster than on foot. She covered the entire Earth Kingdom in 2 days (with no huge mishaps, fortunately), and had started to search for the hideout on the third.

After they landed for their lunch, Katara decided to search by foot. It was risky, with a creature as huge as Appa to hide, but she owed it to him for their speedy journey here.

She found dozens of rivers and streams, but none of them held any of the secret doors she knew existed.

After three hours of fruitless searching, Katara flopped onto a rock that lay in a tree's shade to rest. Her traveling companion gently halted next to her.

"Hey, Appa. You know…I'm beginning to regret this. What am I even doing out here? This feels so weird. I miss Zuko, Toph, Aang and Sokka. I miss Hana, Kokoro, Terke, Sair Lin and Anata."

Something rustled in the tree she was next to. Katara jumped in alarm and whipped out a Blayde.

"Who's there? Show yourself."

"Is that – Katara?" a strangely sinister female voice said.

She started. "How do you know me?"

"It _is_ you!" A narrow faced, small-eyed girl jumped out from the branches and flung herself at Katara.

"Kokoro?"

"Of course, you ninny!"

They laughed and hugged each other for a long time. Katara told her all that had went on since she'd been away, even about Zuko.

"From the way you talk about that fire dude, it sounds like you _love_ him, haha!"

Katara grew silent.

"Katara? Did I say something wrong?"

"No…but – well, I only just realised."

"Realised what?"

"That I think I do love him."

There was a pause, then Kokoro said, "I guess some things are more obvious to others than to yourself. I think it's pretty obvious."

"Hmm."

"So you need help, don't you? With the battle."

"Oh yes! I do, really!" _I'd completely forgotten about that._

"Well, come on then. I'm sure the others would like to see you again. I'll take you there!"

Kokoro grabbed Katara's hand and hauled her up.

_A black Blayde swung at her neck._

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a Blayde appeared in Kokoro's hand and came swinging towards Katara's neck.

Katara's Blayde that had lain forgotten at the side when Kokoro had jumped at her had already flew to Katara's hand just before Kokoro made her move, when Katara's movement-predicting vision had activated. She blocked the strike just in time.

"Wh-what…Kokoro?"

A horrible sneer exuded from her friend's lips.

"Hehe…just joking."

The girl whirled back and crouched into battle mode. Katara glanced at her Blayde and inhaled sharply. The tip was black – poisoned ice? Normal ice didn't look like that.

"But why…what's wrong? I-I thought we were friends. Aren't we?"

She felt tears well up behind her eyes. It was self-pitying, but she felt that she couldn't help it. _I haven't seen her in ages, and yet…she hates me. Do they all?_

_Did I do something when I went away? Yue didn't seem to hate me…_

_But I didn't think about the others…_

Kokoro had started her attack. A water whip formed in her right hand, and another one in her left hand.

Katara was shocked. Kokoro had enough power and control to manipulate two water whips?

_Damn! She's got a killing aura! And – what in hell is that?_

_Seven Blaydes, placed around her in a formation, had risen from the ground and were heading for her vitals…_

_Each one was poisoned._

A rush of cold air seemed to hurl towards Katara, and she immediately brought up a wall of ice from the small quantity in her water pouch. It was only a temporary defense, because the wall was thin.

She had five Blaydes with her in total. Threading some of her power through each of them, she made them hover around her hastily.

A water whip came at her right side, whose reach she backed out of. Another chill came at her clothed back, and she saw Kokoro's other water whip thrusting towards that direction.

She jumped as high as she could, and saw the water whip pierce the space she had been in moments ago. With one Blayde, she severed the first meter off the tip of the whip, and sent another two heading at her friend's arms.

_The water whip was moving to slice her two Blaydes._

Katara instantly flicked her left wrist to protect her weapons when she landed – they swerved out of the way just in time – and drew the severed water whip's water into her minuscule supply.

The fight went on for a long time. Katara received scratches upon her scratches, although luckily she didn't have any serious wounds. Kokoro didn't seem to be getting tired at all.

Was this really Kokoro?

It took her a long time to realize that she was crying again.

"Are you crying?" Katara looked across at Kokoro. Her voice was concerned now. This was the girl, the friend, she knew! This was Koko-

"You wuss. Wimp. I can't believe you're crying over such a little thing…"

That was when she turned pale. Kokoro's eyes grew round and seemed to bulge out of her eyes.

Shakingly, the pale waterbender reached for her inside pocket…and drew out a small case. She opened it, and took out a single leaf that looked blue in colour.

Tipping her head back, Kokoro swallowed it whole.

Katara stared at her friend in utter shock.

"Kokoro…you're on a drug?"


	24. Drugged Like A Slug

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Looks like I've lost a lot of my readers after not updating for a long time…Come back!!

Well, maybe you're all just not reviewing. Review? Please? So I know you're there?

**Chapter 24: Drugged Like A Slug**

A drug.

Kokoro was on a drug.

How in hell had that happened?

Katara felt morbid. Why was Kokoro on a drug? She knew that her friends had never turned down the road to being a juvenile delinquent – she was positive of that.

It didn't make sense. There just had to be an explanation. But firstly, Katara had to plan her immediate action. She had to get Kokoro back to the Blayders. Did they know she was addicted?

She also had to stay alive.

At the moment, Kokoro wasn't attacking her. She was being the normal Kokoro again. This one didn't seem to know that she had just tried to kill Katara.

But occasionally, Katara saw the evil glint in her friend's eye and told herself to be careful.

She had a plan, but Kokoro had to take the bait before it worked.

They were walking (supposedly) to the entrance of the Blayders' hideout. Katara knew that it was most probably a trap, that the place they were heading for wasn't the entrance. She'd have to find it herself later.

Time was running out, she realised. Every second she wasted was probably another dozen Water tribesmen (or women) killed.

"Here we are!" The two girls were walking side by side, unwilling to turn their backs on each other.

From where she stood, Kokoro parted the water on the riverbed to reveal a very familiar-looking ice trapdoor. She gestured for Katara to walk ahead of them.

_This is the part where you try to do something_, Katara mentally urged Kokoro.

Slowly, Katara lifted her hands and pretended to bend for a little bit, trying to establish a weak persona. She used her powers to bring out a slight sweat on her face before she slowly melted the ice away into water.

Smiling uncomfortably at Kokoro, she saw that her friend had been watching her with a slightly incredulous expression. _I hope she fell for my acting_, Katara anxiously thought, _since she doesn't seem to remember our fight, she won't know how good I really am._

Suddenly, Katara glanced over Kokoro's shoulder and her eyes widened abruptly.

Her friend turned around to look at the new surprise.

In that moment, the world seemed to slow down.

Quick as a flash for the first time, Katara separated all the water from the ice door, still in her hold, and froze it all into ice splinters. With a final jab, she sent all her new weapons at her friend.

It was then that Katara realised that she had used her powers against her friend. Of all people, she'd harmed Kokoro.

Before she could change her mind, the ice splinters had all struck their target.

The moment before Kokoro fell, the malicious glint in her eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever.

Then, Kokoro collapsed, having more than 50 needles pierced into her body, some on her vital points.

Katara watched it all, her body numb and refusing to respond with shock.

-  -

Yue whistled as she helped to clean a newcomer Apprentice's chamber.

"Yue, could you get one of spare the sewing kits in the Hall? The poor girl doesn't seem to have one of her own."

"Alright, I'll be right back."

Many people said that she'd grown and blossomed through the years – her beauty turning from that of a pink youth, to a more sedate, red rose.

She herself didn't really realise this so-called beauty people labeled her with. It was turning tiring.

As Yue entered the Hall, she thought she heard a noise. Pausing to listen again, there was nothing.

She continued to make her way across the Hall to where the cupboards with the small supplies, including sewing kits, were.

_Drip._

What was that?

_Drip, drip._

It sounded like – melting. The ice walls??

She dashed over to the place where she thought the sound was coming from.

A perfectly rounded circle of ice melted in one of the far walls and the water poured out onto the floor. Something was coming out…

"Halt right there! Who are you and what business do you have here?"

Katara looked up at the white-haired girl blocking her way, with a Blayde pointed at her.

Yue dropped her Blayde in instant recognition.

"Ka-katara?"

"Before you do anything, give me a hand, will ya?"

"It _is_ you!" Yue threw herself at her old friend, then quickly drew back, a bit embarrassed at the sudden loss of royal dignity she'd displayed.

Katara laughed and her face broke into a smile. "It's okay, don't be embarrassed! Just help me with this load of rubbish, will you?"

"Rubbish?"

Together, the two girls hauled Kokoro's limp body into the Hall. Yue hadn't seen the body's face, but she'd been assured that it was only unconscious, not dead. They carried it to the infirmary together, and as the went, the news passed along: a stranger of some sort was here! In the society's hideout!

Inside the infirmary, Katara thought that she could see the back of a very familiar figure giving orders and supervising things in general. She couldn't have been away for so long that she couldn't recognize one of her best friends, could she?

"Is that…?" she queried.

Just as she was about to finish her question, the said person turned around to face them. Katara squealed in absolute surprise, whilst the person's eyes widened into huge saucers.

"Terke! You've really moved on, haven't you? Giving orders in the infirmary…"

"Katara! It's you! It's great to see you!"

It turned out that since Terke had passed her Mastery Examinations, she'd been stationed in the infirmary as one of the senior healers. It wasn't because she was good with the actual waterbending part of healing: she had had generations of woodlore passed down to her from her former family, and had a vast knowledge of different plant species.

Soon, Hana, Anata and Sair Lin all arrived at the news of Katara's arrival. They'd not known who the stranger was – but a visitor was not frequent within the society, so many others joined in to peek at the newcomer too. Lady Maska and her group of personal ladies-in-waiting, of which Terke had left, arrived as well.

Katara motioned for her friends and the Lady to enter an unused chamber. There, she revealed the bundle she and Yue had dragged all the way to their present location.

Katara had expected some sort of surprised and shocked reaction – a few gasps and shrieks, maybe, or at least a lot of noise. So she kept her eyes glued to her unconscious and hurt former friend.

_Silence._

She looked up. And what she saw confused, frightened, and shocked her.


	25. Beseeching

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The events are leading up to the final battle!

**Chapter 25: Beseeching**

Katara had expected the Lady and her friends to all emit some sort of shock. At least one or two gasps, maybe. But as she studied each expression on the faces of her companions and superior, she didn't know what to make of it.

They were all grim, and their jaws were set in an especially tight way. _What is going on? Did they know of this already?_

After a few moments, Lady Maska turned slowly to Katara, and beckoned everyone else out of the room as well. She motioned for Terke, her former Apprentice, to explain things.

"It happened not long after you left. As you know, Kokoro has never been too strong-minded. Do you remember Kendall? That woman, she – I never suspected her to be such a bad, bad apple – she became friends with our Kokoro. After a while, Kokoro stopped taking her meals with us, and ate with that girl. We didn't mind at first, because we all thought that Kokoro would do that woman some good. Then, it started to go in the reverse. Kokoro was always in Kendall's shadow, doing errands for her. She never talked to us anymore. Hana tried to talk to her a few times, but she just ignored her.

"Then, a huge scandal occurred. An Apprentice found Kendall smuggling strange drugs into the Society, and selling them to a few people. Apparently, she gave some to Kokoro for free, who at first rejected them. Then, she started taking them, and got really addicted. She couldn't hide them anymore, and somebody found her out too. They, and the other addicts, were all banished from the Society for about 9 months already."

Katara felt tears building up behind her eyes. She tried to hold them in, but it didn't seem to work. They started to drip down slowly, until it all built up into a sob.

How could she cry now? Of all times, and in front of Lady Maska too! She felt so ashamed. What would Zuko s –

Zuko!

In a bang, Katara realized how selfish she'd been. In the midst of mourning her former friend, she'd completely forgotten her friends battling the Fire Nation.

What if, all because of this, Aang, Sokka, Toph, or Zuko got killed?

Oh, the stupidity!

She allowed herself to wallow in self-pity for a moment more, then quickly composed herself before addressing Lady Maska.

"Lady Maska, coming back here to see you all was not my only purpose in returning."

At that, everyone present turned to stare and listen to her, aware of the presence of important news.

"During my journeying, I went to see the Northern Water Village for myself. Not long after my arrival, we saw a fleet of the Fire Nation Army at our doorstep. Everyone launched into battle immediately, including my new friends, but I could see the odds were highly against us. I have come back here to ask if anyone would be willing to come with me, to fight. I know you will be none too willing to help, but think about it this way. After they conquer the Village, they will have conquered most of the Earth and Water territories. Of course, the Fire Lord will not stop at that. He will hear about us, sooner or later, and will enslave us sooner or later. If he defeats the Village, the next most likely target will be us."

A small murmur rose from other people who had overheard. Certainly, this girl was brave to have entered the Northern Water Village, insolent, even. What did they care whether the men were having a hard time defending themselves? They had never treated their women as humans. But she had made a few points that made sense…

Katara remained silent, waiting for Lady Maska's answer. She was feeling very impatient already, and anxious.

"I will have to think about it, Master Katara."

Katara's bubble of self-control burst at that.

"Lady Maska! Forgive me for saying this, but we simply _cannot wait_! Even now, the Fire Navy will be driving the Village fighters further and further back!" She turned to address other people in the room. "Your men may have been cruel to you, but amongst them are newer men! I know some of them, and they are not all that bad! Would you stand by and let them all be murdered by your enemy, out of a century-old grudge?"

More argument and discussion broke out. The noise level grew higher and higher, until Lady Maska shouted:

"ENOUGH! SILENCE!"

The sound ceased. Rarely was the Lady's voice raised to such a loud extent. In fury, the Lady rounded on Katara, and reprimanded her.

"Master Katara, if you expect me to help you, then it would be better if you were to treat my words with more respect!"

"I – I'm sorry…Lady Maska. I spoke out of turn."

"Indeed you did! Look, I understand the urgency you feel, but you must let the Council consider."

"Yes, Lady."

Katara couldn't help but blurt one last plea in a tiny, tiny voice. "L-lady Maska? W-would it be possible for you to give me an answer b-by tonight?"

The Lady stopped, turned, and fixed Katara with a scorching eye. "Young ones like you should learn how to keep your mouths shut. But yes, I will give you an answer tonight, when I have consulted the others."

Katara smiled sheepishly as the Lady resumed her cold-hearted demeanor and walked on.

Her old friends flooded around her the moment the Lady left the room. They all remarked on how absolutely brave she'd been, and that they'd all go with her to fight.

"Besides, we might meet some handsome men," giggled Hana.

They all laughed at that.

It was suppertime, and Katara grew continuously nervous. She knew that Lady Maska would almost definitely give her answer at this time, or after. Most announcements were made at this time.

Katara slowly picked at her food, her appetite slowly fading by the moment. She'd never thought about what would happen if they refused. She'd have to go back, having come out all the way here for nothing at all. Maybe she would be able to gather some old Earth Kingdom friends, but they would be few. Well, at least Terke, Hana, Sair Lin and Anata had all expressed their wishes to come with her. Maybe they'd be a force to be reckoned with!

_Stop dreaming,_ she told herself. _That's just impossible_.

The evening drew on. Then, the desserts started to come in and suddenly it was time for Lady Maska's announcement time, if she had any.

_It's all happening too quickly,_ she panicked. _I'm not ready!_

"Sisters, I hope that you have all enjoyed your meals. You may have noticed that we have one more than usual amongst us at dinner tonight. She is Katara. Katara, stand up. Many of you probably know her, but not why she is back here with us after a year."

_It's been a year already? I had no idea. I must be 18 now, then. _Katara held her breath, not daring to breathe lest her breath blew Lady Maska's help away.

"However, she is not here just for a reunion with her friends, and her teachers. She has an important task to undertake, of which our help is required. The Northern Water Village is being attacked."

The last sentence drew gasps and raised eyebrows from the crowd.

"Yes, it is. Katara has come to take any of you who are willing to go to battle with her."

The Lady gave a meaningful look at Katara, who was standing, and sat down. All eyes in the hall then turned to look at her, expecting some kind of speech.

"U-um..Hi. As Lady Maska just mentioned, the Northern Water Village is being attacked. It would be great if some of you would come with me to help with the battle. It may have been the place you felt you forced to run away from, but still…it was your home. The men you knew then have been replaced with a new generation. I myself know some of them, and I believe they would not make you feel as you did before. There are still families out there, with other females in them. Sisters, mothers, daughters…would you forsake all their lives for an old grudge you hold against the men?"

Katara took a deep breath, cheeks flushed. She was getting caught up in the moment, with pictures of all her friends flashing in her mind. And Zuko…she prayed that he, nor any of the others, hadn't died. _Please, please, almighty gods, keep them all safe!_

"I'm leaving at noon. If you are coming, please meet me here and…be prepared to face separation, despair, and death. But in light of it all, think of the damage we could do the Fire Nation together, and how many innocent lives we'd save."

She hastily sat back down, keeping her head down. The elders had given her the chance to persuade as many of them as she could…she just hoped that she hadn't flunked it.


	26. Setting Out

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Sorry for the very infrequent updates…but now that it's the summer, I should be able to write more.

**Chapter 26: Setting Out**

Katara arrived at the great dining hall early, hoping that some people were there already. There were – her old friends Hana, Anata, Terke…but where was Sair Lin?

She voiced her question out loud, and Hana answered, "She's got a surprise for you." The rest were unwilling to say any more, so Katara had no choice but to wait.

The sun moved slowly across the sky, until it was at its highest point in the day. Katara got up, deciding that it would be time to go. As she looked around, her heart plummeted to the depths. There was barely any help at all.

In the room there was herself and her friends. Other than that, there were only about 26 others. In total, if Sair Lin appeared soon, there would be 31 benders.

_It'll have to do,_ she thought as she stood up and addressed them all. "I believe it's time to go, ladies. Thank you so much for coming." As the entire group moved out, they heard sounds of somebody running towards them.

"Wait! Wait for us!"

Sair Lin was running towards them, her hand dragging the hand of a heavily bandaged Kokoro.

"What's going on here?" asked Katara.

"Master Youkani said to take this piece of garbage along. It might do us some good."

"That's not a bad idea, considering how strong she is. But is she well enough to be traveling with us?"

"Well enough. If she was any better, she'd escape."

The whole unit stepped out of the society's hidden entrances, the sun almost blinding them all. Suddenly, a huge shadow loomed over them all, and started to descend. All of them whipped out some sort of arms, mostly Blaydes, daggers, or a water whip, with a few other odd-looking weapons, but no doubt just as dangerous.

Katara was the first to sheath her Blaydes, then called out "It's all right! It's just my mount!" Without a word, she ran to hug the flying bison.

"Appa! It's so nice to see you! I haven't forgotten you, don't worry…"

Katara bit her lip, thinking how she could use the flying bison. He wasn't large enough to carry all 31 of them back, which would be the quickest way. If he only carried a few of them at a time, it would mean leaving behind the others, which she preferred not to do.

She would have to send him back alone, hoping he made it through the arrows and fire-catapults of the Fire Navy. He would help Aang much better there on the front lines.

"Appa, I want you to go back to the Northern Water Village. You know the way back, don't you?"

The bison snorted. Hoping he understood her, she yelled "Yip-yip! Go to Aang!" and thumped heartily on the rump. He took flight, circled once or twice, then flew off in the correct direction.

She motioned for the women to keep moving, and they progressed on their journey.

Every three hours they would stop to rest for half an hour. It helped them move on at such a rapid pace. Sometime during the next day, they stopped for an extra-long break.

As Katara turned away to go fill her waterskin, she heard something rustle in the trees above Hana's head. Before she could warn her friend, a super fast dark shadow pounced on her.

In the flurry, other shadows emerged from the shadows, watching the first one tackle Hana. The other Blayders armed themselves, and marked each shadow-warrior. As Katara ran to help her friend, the action quieted, and Hana held her attacker by the neck, a strange weapon pointed at the temple of the person.

The weapon caught Katara's eye. Thicker than ice splinters, long ice claws protruded from Hana's knuckles and up her fingers. The sun glinted off the lower edge, showing how sharp that side of it was, as well the points.

"Who are you? What business do you have with us?"

Suddenly, Kokoro's laugh pierced the air. Most of the fighters had their attention diverted to such a strange sound that didn't fit in the atmosphere.

"And what are _you_ doing here, Kendel?" Kokoro's weak words sailed clearly across the ear to each person there.

It then hit Katara, that Hana's captive was blonde, and had a very contemptuous look stamped across her face. It was Kendel.

"We're here to get Kokoro back from you. She's got something dangerous with her…"

Kokoro continued to argue with Kendel, who was obviously the leader of the shadow-warriors. "You mean the secret of the drug? You don't want me to tell other people how to make it, do you?"

Katara did some quick thinking, and realized that this whole group of shadow-warriors were all victims of the terrible drug she'd seen Kokoro consume. She motioned for Sair Lin to shut Kokoro up. "As it happens, Kendel, Kokoro has already told us the components of the drug." She pasted a smug look on her face, hoping it looked convincing. Hana looked bewildered, as did many of the others.

"Yes, she has. We've already Kokoro's remaining portion of the drug, of course, but we can always make more."

_Good old Anata, thanks!_ Katara was grateful for her cunning friend.

Kendel looked suspicious, but it didn't take more than a bit more threatening for them to convince her.

"Of course, if you don't believe us, we can recite all the ingredients and how to prepare them right now. First -"

"Fine, fine! What do you want me to do? It's obvious you want something."

Katara was silent for a moment, then was hit by a brainwave. "You do realize that your old home is being attacked by Fire Nation men, don't you?"

"Of course we do! Let those foolish creatures fight it all out, we don't care."

"Well, _we _care. In fact, we care very much. I've heard from reliable sources that Commander Zhao wants this entire forest and surrounding area wiped out when he conquers the village. This is where your hideout is too, am I right?"

Kendel didn't answer.

"Well, we're going to help to fight the Fire Nation. You, and all your other drugged friends, will come along and help fight the enemy."

_Flying splinter heading towards my face._

Kendel suddenly spat at Katara, her fingers moving. The spittle transformed into a razor-sharp ice splinter.

Katara was already moving. She slowed the movement of the weapon and caught it in her hands, inspecting the surprisingly refined weapon.

Kendel's face showed utter surprise. Obviously, nobody had ever been quick enough to defend themselves against that particular attack of hers.

Kendel slumped visibly. "Fine. We'll all fight."

Katara felt as if a huge weight had been taken off her shoulders. Anata made one more precaution. "Wait. All of you, come and swear a blood oath on this."

Katara smirked. After they swore a blood oath, it would be impossible for them to go back on their word. If they did, their own blood would be the death of themselves.


	27. To The Rescue

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Another update…although this is meant to be the end of it, it's dragging out so much! Also, I realize I wrote 'Zuko' more than a few times where it should've said 'Lee'. Forgive these unholy mistakes!

Also, thank you to all the reviewers so far! I've replied to every single one of you, so keep your support up!

**Chapter 27: To The Rescue**

"Retreat! Fall back! Fall back to the Palace!"

It was on the third day of the skirmish, and the Fire Nation had infiltrated the Village's walls at long last. Only the palace remained in Water Village possession, but their hold on it was weak.

Zuko had a roughly wrapped wound from his left shoulder to his right hip; he held the unconscious Sokka under his right arm, trying as hard as he could to bear with the pain. In his right hand he clutched the constantly stumbling Toph's arm, while Aang stayed in front of them, taking care of the occasional Fire Nation soldier.

The going was hard: they were trying to regroup at the council chamber of the palace. Their former 500 fighters in total had been reduced to a mere 200, although the traps they had set for the Fire Navy had done quite a lot of damage; there remained a hefty number of 500 men.

Appa had appeared sometime ago and flown the group to the palace, so they'd arrived there much quicker than their pursuing enemies. When Appa had done his job, Aang sent him away to somewhere safer for the moment.

Not for the first time, Zuko's thoughts drifted to Katara. He had no idea where she was, but he could only pray that she was safe. He did believe that Katara had gone to try and find help; but either she would be too late, captured, or worse, dead.

They reached the corridor to the chamber and their hearts surged in hope. They started in the direction of the doors of the chamber, when shouts were heard, and Fire Nation soldiers rounded on the opposite corner and from the corner they'd just come from.

Zuko was suddenly overwhelmed in a sense of urgency. He immediately charged for the door in a sudden rush, dragging Toph and Sokka along with him. He shoved the two of them into the room, then turned around to face the Fire Navy men who were already upon them, with Aang at his back.

Luckily, the corridor was quite narrow; at most, only two men could walk abreast. This meant that the Avatar and Zuko faced only one opponent at any one time. Zuko found it extremely hard to defeat these men – they were all seasoned fighters, and although few of them were actually benders, the continued movement opened up Zuko's barely closed-up wound. However, he knew that without someone to fight the other Fire soldiers on the other end, Aang would surely be captured, and perhaps, killed.

Strange, how, not too long ago, he'd been one of these men, hungering after the nuisance of an Avatar who'd hidden from the world for a whole century. How he had been so desperate to bring the Avatar – probably a fully-fledged, veteran bender to the Fire Lord, and regain the honour he'd lost so miserably all those years ago. Then of course, someone new had brought light to his vengeance-hungry world. A waterbender, of all people. She'd even accepted him for who he was, even if she'd been brought up to hate everyone of his kind. Sure, she was bossy and had her own strange logic that didn't agree with his, but that made her different from most other girls.

He received a formidable punch to his right jaw as punishment for his straying thoughts. He tasted blood in his mouth, and felt one of his teeth come loose. He felt weak and helpless…he hated all this war, he realized.

His mind seemed to have slowed down. He hadn't realized that he was on the floor until he saw the icy ceiling. The floor he lay on seemed to be strewn with dropped weapons, armour, dead or unconscious bodies, and blood.

He saw the soldier he'd been fighting crow with a victory, and punch his fist into the air. The soldier prepared to plunge his spear into Zuko's heart. Slowly, his spear split the space between the point and its target.

Then, a blood-chilling scream sounded above all the noise. The soldier suddenly looked very surprised as a dagger encased in ice seemed to materialise between his eyes. Then, he toppled backwards and onto his fellow soldiers.

A dark figure stood above Zuko, with its long hair braided with ice splinters in it. He vaguely recognized the shape with a huge sigh of relief. She now formed ice cases over her two fists and seemed to clear an entire path of defeated enemies. She was an unstoppable force, with the wind and waves at her back.

Katara had arrived at the palace ahead of the others, sensing danger with her movement-predicting power. The feeling increased as she arrived at the palace, and she began to have flashes of what was happening. Aang seemed to have coped well, but Zuko was slowly being overcome with fatigue and pain.

She'd arrived at the corridor when she saw Zuko fall. She didn't need a vision to tell what would happen to him next. She sent a Blayde between Zuko's opponent's eyes before thinking, as a roar tear itself from her throat.

She flew to defend Zuko before any of the others had a chance at him. Something more powerful than she'd ever experienced before had awakened in her, and her power not only allowed her to predict her opponent's next moves, but she could read their thoughts at an organized will!

The rage and shock she'd felt at almost losing Zuko had been devastating. She defeated every opponent that stood before her in a matter of seconds.

Zuko saw other figures fighting with water now; all of them were female. At last, their saviours had arrived!

Then, everything was dark.

/--\

"Zuko? Zuko? Look, he's waking! He's waking!"

Zuko's eyes flickered open to see Katara's and Aang's face in front of him. He didn't know why Katara was calling him by his real name in front of Aang. The voice he'd heard was Katara's naturally soothing tone.

"Where-where am I? Why did you just call me -" He was quickly interrupted by Aang.

"You're in the infirmary of the palace. The battle's over! We won, against all odds. It's all thanks to Katara and her friends." Aang looked at Katara admiringly. Zuko didn't like that look.

"Haha, well, I'm just glad you're still alive." She started crying, but out of joy.

"It's okay…don't cry. You were the one that saved me last moment, right?"

"You could say so." She smiled radiantly at him through her tears, and Zuko felt his heart beat faster.

Aang interrupted their small conversation, since they were talking like they were the only people on earth. "It's been a week since you were knocked out. You were in deep sleep, and we almost thought you'd never wake up."

"How's everyone else? Sokka? Toph?"

There was a small silence. Then Aang spoke up, not meeting Zuko's eyes. "Why didn't you tell us you were the Prince of the Fire Nation?"

Zuko tried to sit up, but a sharp pain ran up his torso. He fell back down. "You _told_ them?" He glared accusingly at Katara.

"Why not? You've proved how loyal you are." She shrugged.

"Then why won't you answer my question? What about Sokka and Toph?"

There was another brief silence, then Aang said, "They didn't believe us at first. But then you started saying something about the Fire Lord in your sleep. Sokka almost had a fit."

"And now?"

"We're working on them, but I don't think they want to see you." Katara looked away guiltily.

Zuko couldn't help but feel a bit hurt. Then, he asked Aang, "Then why do you believe me?"

"Comes with being the Avatar, I guess. You've proved yourself, and even if you do have a bit of a temper, I can tell you mean no harm to us."

Zuko tried to grin, but it hurt. "Th-thanks."

Aang beamed. "You're welcome."

A knock sounded on the door. "Lord Avatar, sir, you're needed in the armoury."

Aang sighed. "Work calls. Get well soon."

When he'd left the room, Katara burst out into a flood of tears. "I don't know what came over me w-when I saw you on the floor. I-I think I went a bit crazy. Thank God I got there in time, thank God, thank God, thank…"

Zuko gently pressed her head onto his neck, feeling her warmth flooding into him. He felt butterflies in his stomach, and when he felt her arms wrap around him, it was as if the world had turned upside down. His boned turned to jelly, powerless in her arms.

Gently, he put his shaking arms around her and rested his own head on hers.


	28. Mourning And Thereafter

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

The whole thing _should_ be winding down…I _am_ making an effort. (At last!) This chapter is more of a memorial, though.

**Chapter 28: Mourning And Thereafter**

Of course, such a battle as great as the Battle of the Blayders, as it had been named in their honour, is not without consequences. There were deaths of all kinds of people, from the Fire Nation and from the Blayders and from the Water Village. Many people were saved, of course, but not as many who perished.

The Fire Nation soldiers that died were burned on funeral pyres, and the ashes were left to fly where they would.

When the general cleaning up was done – and that took about 2 weeks – a great funeral was held for the people who died in battle. Among them lay people Katara had cherished.

Zuko was now well enough to get out of bed, thanks to Katara's healing, although he would bear a scar from the wound he'd received all his days. He walked slowly to the edges of the ice of the Water Village, where all the dead bodies they could find lay in boats. It was a Water Village custom to lay a dead person in a small logboat, with possessions of their own that would help them in the Spirit World.

As the herald spoke words in honour of the dead, frequent sobs and sudden cries of pain were heard, although they were quickly smothered. Everyone's faces were somber, because they'd all known more than a few of the people who had died, whether as friends, fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, siblings, or lovers.

The Avatar himself stood on the rostrum where all the main leaders stood: and the crowd saw him for once, for who he really was. A young boy, not even into manhood yet, but places with responsibilities none of them could ever imagine.

When the words were all spoken, it was Aang's turn to read out all the names of the dead. He probably didn't know even a third of them, but he remembered that they were all people who had died to save the ones among them now. As each name was spoken, Katara and another waterbender she didn't know, dressed in black, alternately bended the water around each logboat out to sea, for eternal peace.

Of course, there _were_ names that they knew.

"Kokoro, formerly of the Blayders."

"Anata of the Blayders."

"Kendel, formerly of the Blayders."

"Sair Lin of the Blayders."

"Hie, formerly of the Blayders."

"Anille, formerly of the Blayders."

And eventually…

"Adept Kestrel of the Blayders."

Katara had already wept all her tears out for the dead, never to return. She hadn't even realised that her old Shifu had come along until it was too late. As Katara had been about to receive a fatal blow from behind, a highly familiar presence had slipped in between them, taking the pike into herself.

Katara had turned to see Adept Kestrel lying on the floor, a pike sticking out of her abdomen. She had looked very much like a bird brought down from the skies with a cruelly barbed arrow.

By the time Katara had been able to frantically scream her Shifu's name, begging her not to die, to live, not to leave her alone…she was already dead. Katara hadn't been able to remove her Shifu's expression from her mind, nor understand it, just before her eyes closed: satisfaction, and a strange sort of peace.

It was Katara's turn to push the small boat out to sea. As she did, her face remained as still as the surface of water.

In the hours she'd spent mourning the dead, she'd been racked in guilt very often. It was _her _that had asked them to come along, _her _that had pushed them into battle, and _her _that had remained alive after they'd died.

She'd spent a day and a night weeping and lamenting in the small chamber she'd been given, having asked for her meals to be brought to her.

At times, a few people would come in to share their grief, like Terke and Hana. Others tried to comfort her, of which she would ignore. Zuko bore upon himself with the responsibility to make her eat. He would stay with her a while each time, comforting her just with his presence. No words were spoken.

With one decisive movement, Katara used her hands to ask the water to take her Shifu away, murmuring a blessing unconsciously.

And then, Adept Kestrel was gone.

TT , TT

Katara immersed herself completely into the duties as a temporary healer at the Northern Water Village, taking part in rebuilding all that had been destroyed. She wore a black armband under her clothes as mourning, discreet because she didn't want her patients to feel that she was unfocused.

She'd hardly see Zuko, Aang, Sokka or Toph. At night, she would eat the food brought up to her room instead of in the dining area they'd constructed for everyone to share their meals. Then she would collapse into her bed, tired after a whole day's work.

A month passed. The same routine carried on, except now there were less people in the infirmary. This went on until one day Katara found herself with time on her hands for an entire day.

"You deserve a rest," they said. "Go find your sweetheart and friends."

Katara flushed slightly. It seemed that although some people were very much against the fact Zuko was of the Fire Nation, everyone was impressed by how he'd fought in the battle, protecting as many of their own as he could. Sokka and Toph were willing to treat him normally now, although occasionally Sokka would find strange excuses to argue with Zuko.

They all also had the idea that their lead healer and the Prince made a very good couple.

In truth, Katara hadn't properly talked to Zuko since he'd first recovered. She wasn't sure how to face him now. A sudden horrifying thought struck her. She knew there were many pretty girls in the Village, much prettier than herself. What if Zuko had forgotten her and fallen in love with one of them?

Her brow creased with worry, so she decided to visit Aang first. She couldn't find him in his office, and was told that he'd gone for a walk with the "blind earthbender girl". She sighed, knowing she was feeling self-pity. Aang had been a couple with Toph for a while now. Katara didn't bother find him, so she looked for her brother.

He was having a hot bath, a new luxury established thanks to Zuko. She sighed again, unhappy at being reminded of the Prince again. She sat on the side of the bath, not caring about the 'Men's Bath' rules. There was no one else at the bath, anyway.

"So…what's up?"

"Nothing much. I've been busy."

Sokka raised an eyebrow at her. "We all know that."

Katara flinched at the accusation in those words. "Well, I'm sorry about that. It's just that there were – well, people to heal, things to mend…you know…"

"Well, at least I don't mind so much. But did you think about Zuko?"

Katara slapped her face to her hands. "Could we not talk about him?"

"Why not? Did something happen?" He was being annoying _again_.

"No, no, nothing happened."

"Then…why?"

"Nothing."

After a lot more egging, Katara told her brother of her fears, feeling childish. To her surprise, he laughed out loud. He explained: "You're both worrying about the same thing, silly. To tell the truth, he's been worried sick about you. When you told him not to come to the infirmary unless he was sick or hurt, he almost demolished his own room. He still has problems expressing himself, huh."

Katara's mouth gaped open. "But that was only because there were loads of sick people at the time, and he could've caught the diseases!"

Sokka snorted. "You try telling him that." Before Katara could answer, Sokka said, "Actually, you won't have to."

That's when Katara heard footsteps. Slowly, she turned around.

Zuko smirked, naked except for the towel that was wrapped around his hips and slightly below. His electric eye contact and familiarly raspy voice sent chills of pleasure down Katara's back.

"When did you turn into a man?"


	29. Bliss Forever

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

And we've arrived to the ending – finally. Lots of 'thank you's to make! Thank you all you readers, and I hoped you enjoyed my story, however crummy it gets most of the time. Thanks to a lot of you who stuck with this story from the beginning to the end – it's _your_ reviews that kept me going!

I'm so happy that I could finish my second story! Heehee.

Look out for my future stories, for I am sure to write more…

**Chapter 29: Bliss Forever**

Katara was taken slightly aback at the manly lure Zuko was emanating. She was given a full view of his wiry chest, with the scar still there. There was barely any trace of fat all over his body. He'd also acquired a beautiful golden tan, even on his graceful legs. Actually, she wasn't slightly taken aback. She was speechless.

Sokka disrupted the strange reunion. "What's with the pheromones, Zuko? Even I can feel them, and I _am_ a straight guy."

Zuko never stopped grinning or looking into Katara's eyes. "Well, I was here to see how a certain girl would respond to them, but it seems that she wants to be a man in the men's bath. Or is she just here to peek?"

Katara shook her head frantically at the lewd comment, and got up. She hurried past Zuko, her mind still reeling.

His arm shot out, latching onto her waist that seemed to fit perfectly into his arms. He pressed her close to his chest, and sighed deeply, resting his chin on her head. "Are you going to run off to the infirmary again?"

"I-I don't know."

Sokka was watching with amusement, but he knew what his friend and sister needed. "Ahh, stop it with the soppy act. Go somewhere else to do it, you two. Leave an old bachelor alone for a while." As Katara turned away, Sokka winked at Zuko and waved. Zuko grinned back.

Zuko emerged from the changing rooms to see Katara leaning over a railing, with the wind in her hair. He joined her, leaning on a spot close enough to ensure a nice warm contact between their upper arms.

"Zuko?"

"Hmm?" He concentrated on the blissful contact between them.

"Do you like me?"

He was surprised by how bold she was. Blushing, he nodded. "Yeah."

Katara turned to face him with her whole body. He looked at her. A radiant smile was resting on her lips, but she looked shy.

"Well, I love you. I think it's high time I was honest with you."

Zuko's face automatically smiled. It was a _real _smile, not like the quirky smirks he usually had when some form of amusement was present. It wasn't just with his lips, but his entire face. His golden eyes burned fiercely. Then another thought occurred to him.

"Then why didn't you come to see me earlier?"

Immediately, she looked away. Zuko was too happy to care with the strange body language.

"Well, I was scared. That you were, ah, with another girl. You weren't really, were you?"

Zuko laughed. "Of course not! Were you?"

She shook her head. "So. Are we officially a couple?"

"I would say so."

"Then…well, there's this thing couples do, you know."

Zuko frowned. "Like wha - "

Katara's lips magically appeared on his, and soon they were engrossed in their ecstatic kiss.

There is nothing that can quite compare to True Love's Kiss, you must understand. In fact, according to Giselle in 'Enchanted', "It's the most _powerful_ thing in the world." But of course, that won't come until much later, when you and I are born, and the entire concept of movie technology is understood.

And that time would also bring with it the world of cars, electric appliances, World Wars, computers, pens and pencils, credit cards and shopping malls.

And by that time, all trace of bending will have been hidden. The ancient art of bending would be known to very few people all over the world. Even now, the Blayders still exist, with their deadly blades. However, that's another story to tell.

Actually, a lot of us are probably benders, but we've long lost the ability to control it.

In fact, _you_ might be a bender.

* * *

Ohmylordd. my second complete fanfic, ever!

This A/N prolly came out a bit too late, but I'm just so proud!

- Sum Sze Tam


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